By Doug Lange

I had been unemployed for just over two years when a powerful new thought came to me—one that shifted everything. One morning, while reflecting on what direction I should take in life to break through the unemployment challenge I was facing, I began to think deeply about trials and their purpose.

As I sat quietly pondering, it felt like the eyes of my understanding opened. New thoughts came flooding in—insights that felt both deeply personal and divinely inspired. When these kinds of teachings come, I believe it’s God nudging me—not just to grow for my own sake, but also to prepare me to share what I learn with others.

That morning, one thought came through clearly and powerfully:
"Trials are about becoming."

It stopped me in my tracks.

I had always been taught to pray and ask, “What am I supposed to learn from this trial?” And that’s a good practice. It helps us gain perspective—and with perspective comes calm, and with calm come solutions.

But this new insight? It took things even deeper.
Trials aren't just about what we're meant to learn. They’re about who we are meant to become.

To become, by definition, means to change, to come into being.

The truth is, we can learn all kinds of things from our struggles without ever changing. We might learn how to be more compassionate, but still fail to become more compassionate. We might learn to be wiser with money during a financial hardship, but revert to old habits as soon as things stabilize. We might realize we need to be a better partner—but never make the changes to truly become one.

Learning isn’t the same as becoming.
But becoming always requires learning.

Becoming isn’t just about taking action. It’s a decision. A way of showing up. A way of living. I believe that’s why we go through so many challenges—because becoming someone new, someone stronger, wiser, more grounded, requires consistent effort.

And here's the most empowering part:
Becoming is a choice.

No matter how hard or how frequent our trials are, if we don’t choose to change, we won’t. We’ll simply remain in the pain. Our trials will bring sorrow, but no growth. Struggle, but no transformation.

On the other hand, when we choose to become—to grow into the person the trial is calling us to be—it changes everything. It doesn't erase the pain, but it gives the pain meaning. It gives us direction. It makes the weight of the struggle more bearable because we understand that something greater is taking shape within us.

That’s the power of applying what we learn—not just observing it, not just nodding at it—but integrating it. Living it. Choosing it. Again and again.

And that’s why becoming through our trials isn’t a one-time act—it’s a determined way of life.

One choice at a time.
One transformation at a time.
Becoming who we’re meant to be.