One year ago, I was three months into my senior year of high school. I only needed two more credits to graduate, I had already been accepted into the school of my choice, and I could hardly wait to get out of Las Vegas and start my new life up in Oregon. Every weekday, I arrived at school at seven in the morning, and left at one-thirty in the afternoon, feeling all the while like I was wasting my time by being there. What I didn’t know at the time though, was that this seemingly pointless season of my life was a pivotal period. God was working within my life in unimaginable ways to prepare me for the incredible plans he designed me for- and I didn’t even realize it.

This time last November, I felt confident in my decision to major in English; it was always a subject that I had enjoyed, and it had always come naturally to me. Although I was not entirely sure what I wanted to do after earning my degree, I was sure that English was what I wanted to pursue. if you would have told me I would find an area of study I felt equally as passionate about, and that I would end up going down an entirely different path than the one I had already decided upon, I would never have believed you.

One of the two credits I needed to graduate was United States government. Undeniably, I was unenthused by the class. Politics had always given me a headache, and I had absolutely no desire to spend the last nine months of my senior year studying it. It was one of those classes I knew I would just have to suck-it-up and push through, so that I could walk across the stage the following spring to receive my diploma. Little did I know, that would be the single most life changing class I would take throughout my high school career.

The class got off to a rough start. My lack of motivation to learn about government earned me a less than desirable grade for the first quarter. As an A student, I knew that both my GPA and my pride depended on me making up for it, so I began working extra hard to understand the material, and attending political events to earn extra credit. Somewhere along the way, a spark ignited within me, and I fell in love with politics.

Had I not been forced to wait patiently on God to reveal His plan to me, I would be a very different person today. My season of “being stuck” in my final year of high school allowed me to find a part of myself I never even dreamed was there. I was not yet ready to start my college life because there were necessary lessons I needed to learn that would end up completely changing my plans for college and my future career path.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Although it was not apparent to me at the time, this “pointless” season in my life was necessary to the discovery of myself. God used this time to work in my life to reveal to me the purpose for which He has created me. I did not see at the time how there could possibly have been a purpose for me to stay where I was at, rather than diving head first into the plan I had already laid out for my life. Looking back, I realize that this period was not pointless or a waste of time; rather, it was a season of waiting, transition and preparation for what was to come.

These seasons are often frustrating, especially when we feel as though we do not need them. It is important, however, not to underestimate the significance of them. They teach us patience, and out of them should grow motivation to seek the Lord. Each of us must face different seasons in life, but none of them are pointless. God is constantly at work in His people’s lives, and if it seems as if He is being silent, He may be working in ways that will prepare you for a future season in which He will do major things through you.