LEADING THROUGH THE SILENCE; HOLDING ON WHEN NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK


I’ve been journeying with a young woman named Rhodah, my mentee, who has submitted over 50 job applications this year alone. So far 4 rejections?  Not a single yes. Even when we have tried alternative routes — training programs, volunteer placements, anything to create a pathway — the doors remained shut. About seven regrets came in for even sponsored learning opportunities. Nothing seemed to give.

And it got me thinking: What goes on in the mind of a person who keeps pushing but meets one closed door after another? What does it do to one’s spirit when, despite doing everything right — praying, applying, networking, trusting — nothing seems to shift?

I thought about those in leadership positions — the pressure is even worse. You’re expected to be strong, to be the light, yet sometimes your own phone stays silent. No opportunity. No breakthrough. Just a quiet room and unpaid bills.

And for those walking through it alone, single mothers, widows, the silence can be deafening.

But What If… This Season Isn’t Wasted?

What if this hard season is doing something invisible? Something eternal?

What if this wilderness isn’t punishment — but preparation?

It’s hard to see it when you’re in the middle of it. 

But sometimes, the only way through is to learn how to celebrate the small wins

  • The courage to get out of bed.
  • The strength to make one more call.
  • The breath in your lungs.
  • The peace that hasn’t entirely left your soul.
  • The child’s laughter that softens the weight of the day.

Maybe that is the miracle for now. That we are still standing.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. — Exodus 14:14

Even though the fig tree does not bud… yet I will rejoice in the Lord. — Habakkuk 3:17–18

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. — Zechariah 4:10

So, What Next?

We wait. Not passively, but watchfully.

We pray. Even if it’s wordless groans.

We do the next small right thing.

We remind ourselves — we are not forgotten.

And in the quiet, we ask God:

What is in my hands today?

Peace? A story to tell? A prayer to whisper? A child to hold?

Then that is where we begin.

Because seasons change. They always do.

And when they do — may we be found faithful, not hardened. Soft, not bitter.

Ready.

Cyprine Omollo

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