This morning, I sat with Luke 24:13–27, expecting to study Scripture. Instead, Scripture studied me.
I cried.
Not because the story was unfamiliar, but because for the first time I saw myself in it.
I’ve had so many disappointments. Dreams delayed. Prayers that seemed unanswered. A business I’m pouring my heart into. Finances that often feel uncertain. The health of my children. The desire for a relationship built on love, consistency, and godly leadership. The longing to finally feel established after years of surviving.
Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I’ve found myself saying, “I was hoping…”
As I read, one thought pierced my heart:
Was I looking more for Jesus’ face than His Word?
I wanted visible miracles.
A breakthrough.
An open door.
A clear answer.
Something undeniable that would tell me, “See? God is here.”
But the disciples had Jesus walking beside them and still didn’t recognize Him.
Why?
Because before Jesus opened their eyes, He opened the Scriptures.
That convicted me.
How many times have I mistaken God’s silence for His absence?
How many times have I believed He wasn’t working simply because He wasn’t working the way I expected?
One sentence especially stayed with me:
Sometimes disappointment makes us walk away from the very place where God is about to reveal Himself.
How often have I emotionally walked away? Not necessarily from my faith, but from hope. From expectation. From believing God was still writing a beautiful story.
Another truth settled into my heart:
God often transforms our perspective before He changes our circumstances.
Maybe that’s where I am.
Maybe before He changes my finances, He’s teaching me dependence.
Before Radiant in Bloom reaches the people it’s meant to serve, He’s shaping the woman behind the brand.
Before every prayer about my children is answered, He’s reminding me that He loves them even more than I do.
Before every relationship falls into place, He’s becoming the steady foundation my heart has been searching for all along.
And perhaps the hardest lesson of all:
Sometimes we expect immediate rescue while God is accomplishing something deeper than we can yet see.
The disciples thought the cross meant the story was over.
It was actually the beginning.
I don’t know what chapter you’re living today, but maybe you’re on your own road to Emmaus. Maybe you’re carrying disappointments that make it hard to recognize God at work.
If that’s you, know this: Jesus may be closer than you realize.
His presence isn’t determined by whether your circumstances have changed.
Sometimes He’s walking beside us before we ever recognize Him.
Today, instead of asking God to simply show me His face through a miracle, I’m asking Him to open my eyes through His Word.
Because if I learn to recognize Him there, I believe I’ll begin to see Him everywhere.
I’m still becoming.
And maybe, just maybe, He’s been walking beside me all along.