I Don’t Want to Be Here – Daily Devotional

A daily devotional adapted from The Drive podcast

God can grow the strongest trees in the poorest ground.

“This isn’t where I wanted to be.”

Almost everyone has thought it. Many have whispered it through tears. Some have carried it silently for years.

It may come after divorce, illness, loss, betrayal, financial collapse, or shattered dreams. It may come when you look at your children and fear you’ve failed them. The pain of being somewhere you never planned to be can feel unbearable.

I understand that place.

It was during one of those seasons that I found hope in a parable from scripture—the story of a vineyard and a master who tends his trees.

The Poorest Ground

In the parable, the master notices trees failing and dying. To save them, he takes what is still good and plants them in different parts of the vineyard—some in places with terrible soil.

When the servant questions why a tree was planted in such poor ground, the master responds:

“I knew that it was a poor spot of ground… yet I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit.”

Even more striking, some trees planted in the best soil produced less fruit than those planted in the worst conditions.

The message is both comforting and challenging:
What looks like the worst place may be the place where the most growth happens.

The Lord of the vineyard knows where His trees are planted. He knows how long they will be there. And He knows what they are capable of becoming.

Ease and comfort do not always produce strength. Struggle often does.

Some of the strongest people you know were shaped by seasons they never would have chosen.

God is not absent from your “I don’t want to be here” places. He is working in them.

Today’s Daily Challenge

Today, reach out to someone you admire and ask them about a hardship that shaped them.

Listen for how God worked in their poorest ground.

The more you see how growth comes through struggle, the more you will trust that God can do the same for you.

In time, with His help, the places you never wanted to be can become places you are grateful you once stood.

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Thanks for taking a moment to reflect today.

If you’re looking for gospel-centered lessons designed specifically for teens, you can explore Come Follow Me for Teens for weekly study guides, devotionals, and teaching resources.

You can also listen to The Drive podcast for more short, daily faith-based reflections.