By every human standard of reckoning, the cross was a waste — the waste of a young life, a prophet’s influence, and a leader’s potential. We know the secret of its meaning and achievement only from God’s own statements. Similarly, the Christian’s guided life may appear as a waste — as with Paul, spending years in prison because he followed God’s guidance to Jerusalem, when he might otherwise have been evangelizing Europe the whole time. Nor does God always tell us the why and wherefore of the frustrations and losses which are part and parcel of the guided life. Sooner or later, God’s guidance, which brings us out of darkness into light, will also bring us out of light into darkness. It is part of the way of the cross.
–J. I. Packer
Wherever God has guided you to right now, know that the experiences you will have there are not a waste. Even in areas of difficulty you will find that Jesus is there to help you grow in trust and faith and love for Him.