Some of the most important milestones never show up on a timeline.

God: “She keeps thinking she’s behind.”

Angel: I wish she could see herself the way we do.

God: I know.

Angel: She’s always measuring her life against where she thought she would be by now.

She learned how to survive things she once thought would break her.

– Jacqueline Whitney

God: Humans do that often.

Angel: She keeps looking at what hasn’t happened yet.

God: And completely overlooks everything that has.

Angel: She thinks she’s behind because her life doesn’t look the way she expected.

God: But some of the most important things she’s done are not external or easy to measure.

Angel: Like what?

God: She learned how to leave what wasn’t good for her. She learned how to trust herself again. She learned that peace matters more than appearances. She learned how to survive things she once thought would break her.

Angel: She doesn’t count those things.

God: I know. But heaven does.

Angel: So she’s not behind?

God: No. She’s becoming. And becoming has its own timeline.

Jacqueline Whitney is the author Held: A 50 Day Devotional For Parents and All That You Deserve.