Having Faith When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned

Until the last few years, my faith wasn’t something I talked about much, even with my closest friends. 

It was deeply personal. Private. Something that developed over time, especially during challenging seasons when I was learning to trust God in ways I hadn’t before.

I was born and raised Catholic, and church was a big part of my life growing up. But as I moved into adulthood, I began to feel less aligned with the church’s views and grew more disconnected from religion itself.

For years, I felt like I was searching for a sense of belonging in my faith. A place where my values felt supported. Where everyone was welcome. Where faith was rooted in love, not fear or judgment.

If you’ve ever felt caught between what you were taught to believe and what your heart knows to be true, you’re not alone.

A Shift That Changed Everything

During my coach training program, my faith unexpectedly began to grow stronger than it ever had before.

Each month, we were encouraged to read books that expanded how we thought about different areas of life. During our spirituality month, one of the books was Conversations with God.

I read it in a day and a half. It addressed so many of the challenges I had struggled with around religion, and I couldn’t put it down.

For the first time, I was introduced to the idea that God isn’t separate from us—He is a part of us.

More than anything, it shifted how I saw my life. I began to understand that life isn’t happening to me, but for me and that every experience holds an opportunity for growth, learning, and expansion.

I realized that when I was trying to force an outcome or control how something unfolded, it meant it wasn’t meant for me.

My mind was blown.

Instead of living my life from a place of fear, I began practicing surrender. Trust. Believing that God was guiding me, even when I couldn’t see the full picture.

Letting Go of Labels

I stopped trying to define my faith with a label.

I no longer felt the need to decide whether I was Catholic, Christian, or anything else. What mattered most was trusting that God was guiding and supporting me, and believing He truly had my back.

That faith became my foundation.

Over time, it continued to deepen. Today, while I connect with Christianity, more than anything, my faith is in God. I trust that I’m supported. I believe that even when things feel uncertain, they are unfolding exactly as they are meant to.

Trust Over Certainty

Today, faith is one of the most important foundations in my life.

Not faith in the sense of rules or fitting into a specific box, but a strong belief that God is guiding me.

Trusting that life is happening for me, even when I can’t see how or why.

That belief has carried me through some of the hardest seasons of my life, especially those times when things didn’t make sense. Moments when I worked hard and still watched things fall apart or unfold in ways I never wanted.

In those moments, my faith isn’t about certainty.

It’s about trust.

Trust that God is working in my favor, even when I don’t understand what’s happening or where it’s leading.

When Faith Was Put to the Test

There’s one season in particular that comes to mind when I think about having faith—not just when life doesn’t go as planned, but when it completely falls apart.

Almost two years ago, my business hit a breaking point.

For different reasons, all of my clients completed their contracts within a short period of time. Some were clients I had worked with for over six years. Suddenly, the business I had spent years building looked very different than it had just a month earlier.

I had only been in Georgia for a few years and didn’t yet have the deep relationships and business connections I had built over nearly three decades in Naperville. I didn’t have the same referral base, support system, or sense of community I was used to leaning on. And being so far away made it harder to maintain those relationships in the same way.

If I’m being honest, that season shook me. I came close to giving up. 

And at the same time, I always knew in my heart that this is the work I’m meant to do in the world.

At my weakest point, I believe God showed up for me through my mom.

When I talked about getting a salaried job, she told me I couldn’t give up on my dreams.

That painful season asked me to practice what I believe.

To trust that God was guiding me, even when the plan didn’t make sense to me. To surrender control when every part of me wanted answers.

To believe that what was falling away was creating space for something better.

Looking back now, I can see that season didn’t break me.

It refined me and my business.

Finding Peace in a Noisy World

Another place my faith supports me is how I navigate what’s happening in the world—politically, socially, and globally.

There are so many things I don’t agree with. Things I don’t understand. Things that genuinely hurt my heart.

But I trust that God is working in ways I can’t always see. That there’s a bigger plan unfolding, even when the world feels heavy, divided, or devastating.

My faith doesn’t mean I’m ignoring reality or pretending everything is fine.

It keeps me from living in constant fear or anger. It allows me to stay compassionate without being consumed by it. It helps me move through uncertainty without letting it run my life.

In a world that often feels loud and overwhelming, that faith has been a lifeline for my wellbeing.

It gives me peace.

Living From a Different Mindset

Because of that trust, I live differently now.

That mindset shift has been life-changing.

When things don’t go as planned, I no longer ask, “Why is this happening to me?”

I ask, “What am I meant to learn?”

This is also how I coach my clients—shifting the question from why something is happening to what it might be teaching them.

I trust that God is guiding me where I need to be, even when I don’t understand it yet. And sometimes, when I’m not paying attention, that guidance shows up as a pretty clear kick in the butt.

Listening When Something Is Out of Alignment

Looking back, I believe that’s exactly what happened a couple of years ago with my business. I was trained in the deeper subconscious work, but I hadn’t fully integrated it into my coaching practice because I was worried what people might think.

I wasn’t showing up in my power or aligned with what I know creates real transformation because of fear.

I realized, when I’m not living in alignment with my beliefs or values, something will shift…and it might not be pretty.

Faith as an Anchor

My faith keeps me grounded in the unknown. It helps me stay hopeful when things feel heavy. It allows me to keep moving forward during seasons that could easily make me give up.

There have been challenges, plenty of them. But over the last dozen years, my faith has been my strength.

Even when I can’t see the path clearly, I trust that everything is unfolding for the best.

And if you’re in a season where life feels challenging right now, this is your reminder that trust doesn’t require certainty—it’s rooted in faith.

If this resonated, take a moment to reflect on where you might be holding on too tightly right now, and what it could look like to trust instead.

And as always, if you need support, please reach out. I’m here.

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January 18, 2026

Nicole Comis is a Certified Executive Life Coach, helping driven professionals achieve bigger goals than they would on their own, step into their power, and create a life that truly fulfills them—inside and out. 

As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a Master Coach of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Nicole combines traditional coaching, neuroscience, and powerful subconscious tools—including NLP, emotional release work, and hypnotherapy— to help her clients achieve incredible transformation both personally and professionally. 

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