There’s Purpose in This Hard Season

It can be difficult to see purpose when you are in the middle of a challenging season. You are focused on getting through the day, managing responsibilities, and staying steady.

In this episode, we talk about how purpose shows up in real ways. I walk through how to begin recognizing meaning in your experiences without forcing it or rushing the process. Purpose is often revealed over time, through reflection and awareness.

This is about learning to see your season differently and understanding that what you are going through has value.

“There is something in this season that belongs to your future.”

If something in this resonated with you, go back and spend time with the full "From Pressed to Purpose Series". Walk it through one episode at a time and let it build for you.

If you want to go deeper, join me inside the Fulcrum Mindset Community on Skool.com and visit my website for more tools and support.

🎧 New episodes are released every Tuesday by 4 AM.

If you’d like deeper support, you’re invited to join the Fulcrum Mindset Skool Community. There, you’ll find courses, guided reflections, live meetups, and a supportive group focused on real transformation.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Listen, your pressing has been producing oil this entire time. But you've been so focused on the pain that you may have missed the product. But the oil is there, it's flowing, and it's time for you to recognize it, collect it, and value it. Over the next few minutes, I'm going to help you see the oil that is being or has been produced from your crushing season. This oil, this wisdom, is precious. It's meant to serve not just you, but other people who will experience something similar. Let's examine the oil in the season. Oil is flowing from your pressing. You may be thinking, what oil? While you have been focused on the crushing, while you have been dealing with the pain, while you have been working to survive this pressing, oil has been flowing. Remember, that's how the olive press works. The moment pressure is applied, the oil begins to flow. The same is true for you. The moment your crushing began, wisdom started emerging and your discernment is getting sharper. During this season, sometimes we're so focused on managing the pain that we don't even notice the product or the result of the pain. But today we're gonna change that. Today you're going to see what's been happening within you. Your pressing has been producing something valuable, and it's time for you to recognize it. Now, when we talk about oil, we're talking about very specific type of oil that emerges from pressure. Let's look at the four types. First, we have wisdom oil. This is the insight that you get about life, about people, and about situations that you didn't have before you're crushing. Things that used to confuse you, they don't confuse you anymore. You see things much more clearly now. You understand dynamics that you didn't used to understand. These things that used to mystify you. Then there is the strength oil. This is the capacity you didn't know you had, the ability to handle the things that you thought would literally destroy you, the power to endure what you thought was absolutely impossible. Then there's the discernment oil. This is the ability to see through people and situations and to recognize those red flags immediately. To sense when something just isn't right about a situation, and to know who you can trust and who you can't trust. And then there is the faith oil. This is a deeper trust in God that only comes through walking through the fire with Him. In this process, we come to know His faithfulness through the trials and the tribulations that we go through. Because how else would we know that He's faithful? Now, each person's oil is unique to their pressing. What emerges from your crushing will be different from what emerges from somebody else's crushing. But the oil is real and it is valuable. So, how do we miss the oil that's flowing from our pressing? Why don't we see what's being produced? First, it's natural to focus on what hurts. Pain demands our attention. When you're in a crushing season, your focus is on your survival, on getting through that season or managing the difficulty that you're experiencing as a result of that season. The emerging oil is gradual. It happens slowly and quietly, drop by drop. So most times we expect transformation to be sudden or to be obvious. We think if oil is really flowing, we should see this big dramatic change in our lives. But that's not how it works. This oil flows slowly. Your wisdom is emerging gradually, you build strength incrementally over time. The dramatic transformation that you may be looking for is actually happening as slow, steady development. Many times we're looking for a finished product instead of recognizing that it's a process. We miss the drops that are actively flowing day by day. But today you will need the oil while it's flowing, not just after the experience. Let me tell you about my friend's crushing and the oil that flowed from it. So my friend was a successful investor. For years, she made six figures. She was living nicely and pretty much had her life all figured out. And then her business completely failed. She went from making six figures to working for $12 an hour. Can you imagine that? After building a life where she was making so much more money, just $12 an hour? She had nice cars and all kinds of fancy things. The financial pressure has been crushing, but the embarrassment she faced was even worse. She was dealing with bills she never had to worry about before. She's learning to manage her money in a way that she never had to manage it. Those so-called friends disappeared when she needed their support the most. She felt like she had lost everything. Her business is gone, her income was gone, and she was embarrassed. She couldn't even tell who her real friends were. But as we walked through her crushing season, I started noticing the oil. Well, she couldn't even see yet. She was learning to manage her finances in ways she had never learned before. She began recognizing the manipulation and those fake relationships. Simone was also beginning to set boundaries with people who had taken advantage of her before. Attending church regularly and fasting through this crushing experience, she developed a relationship with God that she had never had before. When everything else failed, she found faith. Faith oil. When I pointed this out to her, she started to cry. She was so focused on what she had lost, she couldn't even see what she was gaining. Today, she uses her discernment oil to choose better business relationships. She's better at managing her money, more effective than she was before. And she uses that faith oil to trust God through her uncertainty. The oil that flowed from her crushing season is now serving her in ways she never expected. Sometimes we're so focused on the loss that we miss the oil. We've got wisdom oil, strength oil, discernment oil, faith oil. Let's talk about wisdom oil first because this is often the most obvious oil flowing from your crushing seasons. And if I can be honest, just as I was trying to grab a hold of this calling that God had asked of me for this podcast, the community, I had a revelation. Wisdom oil shows up as clarity you didn't know you had before. Woof! You began to see red flags in people immediately instead of missing them. You understand the difference between manipulation and love. And you also recognize healthy patterns versus unhealthy patterns. You see through surface level people. You understand what real security looks like versus false security. And you know what's worth fighting for and what's worth letting go. This wisdom oil was purchased with pain. This insight didn't come by reading a book or taking a class. You gained it by living through experiences that taught you these truths at a heart level, a deep level. This wisdom flowing from your pressing is precious because it's tested wisdom. It's not theoretical wisdom, it's proven wisdom. I know it's true wisdom because I live through it. And now that wisdom oil is already flowing in you. Well, let me tell you my story. I've been married a few times, and I am no stranger to infidelity. I've been cheated on in previous relationships, and to say those experiences haven't crushed me would be an understatement. But the oil that those experiences gave me has served me ever since. It protects me from making the same mistakes. It helps me recognize situations quickly. It allows me to help other people who are walking through what I walk through. The oil that flowed from my pressing experiences is now one of my most valuable assets. And the same is true for you. The oil flowing from your pressing is becoming one of your most valuable assets. Ecclesiastes 7.12 says, For wisdom is a defense and money is a defense. But the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. This verse is telling us that wisdom is a defense. It protects you. The wisdom flowing from your pressing will protect you in future situations. Money can be lost, houses can be taken, jobs can be eliminated, but wisdom stays with you. Once you gain it, it's yours. And notice the last part. Wisdom giveth life to them that have it. The oil flowing from your pressing is life-giving. It doesn't just protect you, it empowers you. It gives you life in situations where other people might struggle. Let's talk about strength oil. Strength oil is the capacity you didn't know you had until the pressure revealed it. It shows up as your ability to handle things you thought would destroy you. You're surviving what you thought was unsurvival and you're enduring what you thought was unendurable. But now you can stand alone when necessary. Hard decisions, man, you can make those without falling apart. Remember when you couldn't have that difficult conversation? Now you can. You can set boundaries without guilt and you can walk away from things that aren't serving you. Before your crush it, if someone had told you what you would have to walk through, you probably would have said, I could never handle that. That would destroy me. But look at you, how you're handling it now. It hasn't destroyed you. That's because the strength was already in you. The pressure just revealed it. Strength oil was extracted by pressing. It wasn't created in the pressing. Your capacity was there all alone. The crushing just brought it to the surface. And now you know what you can handle and what you can survive. It turns out you're stronger than you actually realize. That kind of knowledge changes everything. An important point I want to make here is oil flows based on pressure, not based on your ability to see it. This is good news and it's challenging news. It's good news because it means oil has been flowing from your pressing, even when you felt like nothing was happening. Even when you couldn't see any purpose in your pain, oil was flowing. And it's challenging news because it means you might have missed a lot of oil that has already flowed. You might have let valuable wisdom, strength, or insight go unnoticed because you weren't looking for it. But that's why we're here to help you become aware of the oil that's been flowing, to help you start recognizing it, collecting it, and valuing it. I want you to start looking for small changes in how you handle situations now. Ask your friends what they have observed in you. I want you to pay attention to how you respond to stress now compared to how you used to respond to it. The oil is there, and your job is to learn to recognize it. One of the most powerful ways to recognize oil flowing is to compare how you handle life now versus how you handled life before you're pressing. I want you to think about conflict. How did you handle conflict before your crushing season? How do you handle it now? If there's a difference, that's oil. Think about boundaries. How did you set boundaries or fail to set boundaries before you're pressing? How do you handle boundaries now? Any difference? Any difference is evidence of the oil. I want you to think about relationships. How did you choose relationships before your crushing? What did you overlook in people? What do you pay attention to now? The difference shows oil flowing. Think about uncertainty. How did you respond in uncertain situations? How do you respond now? Is it with greater peace, better coping mechanisms? That's the oil. These differences are evidence that something has been extracted from your pressing. Wisdom oil, strength oil, discernment oil. And I think you're going to be surprised by how much oil you discover. Now let's look at discernment oil. Discernment oil is one of the most valuable oils that flows from the pressing, but it's also one that's the most misunderstood. So what is discernment oil? This is the ability to sense what's really happening beneath the surface. This is that spiritual radar that detects the truth from deception. It's the capacity to see people's true motives and character. And it's understanding the difference between what appears good and what's really good. Now, what discernment oil is not. It's not being judgmental or critical of other people. It's not having all the answers or never being wrong. It is also not being suspicious of everybody and everything. It's not using your insights to tear other people down. So how does pressing develop discernment oil? Again, when you've been through deception, betrayal, or manipulation, you develop an ability to spot red flags that other people miss. Your pressing taught you what to look for. When you've been hurt by people who seem trustworthy, you learn to discern character beneath their charm. When you survive situations that weren't what they appeared to be, you develop a spiritual radar for authenticity versus facade. So what are the signs that discernment oil is flowing? You can sense when something is off, even when you can't explain it. You see through people's masks right through to their true intentions, and you recognize patterns of behavior that predict outcomes. You can even distinguish between conviction and condemnation, and between God's voice and how do we steward this discernment oil, you use it to protect yourself and others from harm. Maybe you're going to share your insights gently and wisely with other people. You don't become cynical. Discernment should increase your love, not decrease your love. And remember that discernment without love becomes judgment. Your discernment oil is meant to be a shield for the innocent and a guide for the seeking. Listen, your pressing has given you discernment oil that can help you and other people navigate relationships with greater wisdom. Discernment oil helps you to recognize a few things. First, discernment oil helps you to recognize red flags. These are people who can't take responsibility for their actions, people who consistently blame other people for their problems, individuals who show different faces to different people. You know, they be acting funny. And people whose words and actions don't line up. You begin to recognize emotional manipulation. These are those guilt trips designed to control your decisions. People who try to love bomb, but then they follow that with some withdrawal. This is that gaslighting that makes you question your own reality, as well as boundary violations that people disguise as care. Spiritual deception. This is any teaching that contradicts biblical truth. Maybe leaders who demand unquestioned obedience or ministries focused on money rather than the transformation of people. And it could be spiritual practices that produce fear rather than peace. Also, opportunity discernment. This is recognizing when an opportunity is too good to be true. Or you sense when timing is wrong even if it feels right. This is distinguishing between God's open doors and Satan's counterfeits. It's also understanding when to wait versus when to act on something. Now, how do we share our discernment oil? You're going to ask questions rather than making accusations. Share your concerns with people privately and lovingly rather than calling them out. And point people to the truth without being controlling. And this is an important one. Let others make their own decisions while you are offering them some wisdom and being okay with the decision that they make. Remember that discernment oil is meant to protect and guide, not control or condemn. Now let's talk about faith oil. Faith oil doesn't just benefit you, it becomes spiritual fuel that lights the path for other people who are walking through their own dark valleys. So how does your faith oil serve other people? Well, it provides hope for the hopeless. When someone feels like God has abandoned them, your faith oil offers proof that he shows up even in the darkness. Your testimony becomes a lifeline. It offers courage for the fearful. When someone is afraid to trust God in their crisis, your faith oil demonstrates that he can be trusted even when everything looks impossible. And it gives strength to the weary. When somebody wants to give up on God because their journey is too hard, your faith oil shows them that endurance is possible and that it's worthwhile. It teaches other people how to pray. Your faith oil helps other people learn to cry out to God with honesty and desperation because you teach them that God can handle their real emotions and genuine questions. And it demonstrates God's faithfulness. Your faith oil becomes living proof that God keeps his promises and he doesn't abandon his children, that he works all things together for good. One of my favorite scriptures, Romans 8.28. Characteristics of mature faith oil, and I think this is the same thing for people who are actually healed from crushing, is that it burns steady regardless of the circumstances. It doesn't need constant external validations. It can comfort other people without minimizing their pain. And it points to God, not to your own strength. It increases rather than decreases when you start to share it with other people. Remember, your faith oil was developed specifically to light the way for people who are walking past that you have already traveled. The person struggling with unanswered prayer needs your faith oil. The person questioning God's goodness needs your faith oil. And the person ready to give up on their faith needs your faith oil. Your pressing produces faith oil that can reignite someone else's flickering flame. Here's something beautiful about the oil from your pressing. It's not just for you. It's meant to anoint others. The wisdom that you have gained can serve someone who's about to make the mistakes that you made. The strength that you developed can encourage somebody who thinks they cannot survive what they are going through. And the discernment that you gain can help someone see what they're missing. Think about it. Who do you know that's going through what you've been through? Who do you see heading toward the pitfalls that you've navigated? Who needs the specific strength that has already emerged from you? God didn't allow you to walk through your crushing season just for your own development. He allowed it because there are people in your sphere of influence, in your circle, who need the oil that would flow from your pressing. Your pain becomes their gain. Your pressing produces oil that anoints them for their journey. But here's the key you have to recognize the oil before you can share it. You have to value what's been produced before you can pour it out for others. That's why this was so important. You're not just learning to see your oil for your own sake, you're learning to see it so you can steward it well and share it appropriately. Anytime someone brings me a challenge, like my kids, my brother, or my friends, I think about the lessons that I learned from my own pressure. And that's the oil that I share with them. And now I'm sharing it on a larger scale with people like you. Now, while your oil is meant to serve others, it's also precious and it needs to be protected. Not everyone deserves your oil. Not everybody is ready for the wisdom. Flowed from your present, and not everyone will value the cost of what you've learned. So don't share your ore with people who mock your journey or call your wisdom bitterness. Don't pour it out on people who want advice but they refuse to apply it. And don't offer it to people who try to use your vulnerability against you. Don't share with people who are not ready or who want to stay in their dysfunction and pull you back into yours. Your oil should be shared with people who genuinely seek wisdom, people who respect the cost, and people who are ready to make changes, and people who honor your boundaries and can receive correction with humility. This is being a good steward of what's been produced through your pressing. Oil is precious. It was costly to produce. I want you to share it wisely, not carelessly. Here's what's beautiful about the oil. When you share it with the right people in the right way, it multiplies. When you mentor somebody through what you survived, your oil multiplies. If you write about your experiences and other people are helped, your oil multiplies. When you lead a support group or you volunteer at an organization serving people in similar situations, your oil multiplies. When you're simply available, when God brings someone to you who needs what you've learned, your oil multiplies. This is how God takes your personal pressing and turns it into purpose that serves beyond you. Your individual crushing becomes oil that anoints many people. But you have to see your oil before you can share it. And you have to value what's been produced before you can steward it well. And you have to understand that the oil flowing from your pressing isn't an accident. It's intentional. God allowed it. He allowed your crushing, knowing what oil would be produced, and also knowing who would need that oil. Your pressing has purpose beyond just your own personal development. The oil flowing from it is meant to serve other people who will walk the path you've walked. Where you go today, I need you to hear this clearly. Your pressing wasn't pointless. Your crushing wasn't meaningless. Your pain wasn't wasted. Oil has been flowing from your pressing the entire time. Wisdom oil, strength oil, faith oil, discernment oil. You've been so focused on managing the pain that you may have missed the oil. Take inventory of what's been produced. Recognize the oil and start sharing it appropriately. The wisdom that you've gained, the strength that's emerged, the discernment that's developed, this oil is precious. It was costly to produce, but it's meant not just to serve you, but to serve other people who have walked the path that you've walked. People who will walk the path that you've walked. Your pressing has been producing something valuable. Now it's time for you to recognize it, collect it, and steward it well. Oil is flowing, and you're going to see it. You've been managing the pain so well that you've missed the product, but the product is there. The oil is real and it's valuable. So you've identified your oil. Next week, we're going to honor the cost of what it took to produce it, and we're going to acknowledge the fire that you walked through and give proper respect to what was sacrificed. Because when you properly honor the cost, you properly value the oil.