Rise Again: Finding Strength When Leadership Gets Heavy
By Cathie Ostapchuk
I thought I was done. Too many things – and people – had come against me that I didn’t think I could withstand the pressure, and I was disheartened and wondered if I could recover from so many failed expectations and disappointments.
Discouragement has a way of sneaking in through the back door—after a failed meeting, an unanswered prayer, a moment of invisibility in a room where your voice should have mattered. As women leaders, we know what it means to show up faithfully and still feel unseen, unheard, or undone.
But here’s the truth: discouragement is not the end of your leadership story.
Scripture is filled with women who faced real resistance and real disappointment. Think of Hannah, whose prayers were long and bitter before they were fulfilled. Or Esther, who stepped into leadership “for such a time as this,” though the risk was high and the outcome uncertain. These women rose—not because everything around them was easy, but because they were rooted in something deeper. Someone greater.
You may be feeling tired right now—emotionally, spiritually, even physically. You may be carrying wounds from leadership spaces that didn’t make room for your voice or questioned your calling. But take heart. Discouragement is often the place where God does His deepest forming work. When the platform shrinks and the spotlight fades, He reminds us: you were never called to perform—only to be faithful.
So how do we rise again?
We return.
To the quiet place. To the Word that doesn’t change. To the One who first called us.
We remember.
That our leadership is not defined by titles, approval, or outcomes—but by obedience, integrity, and presence.
And we reach.
To trusted community. To sisters who see us, stand with us, and speak life when our own words run dry.
If you are discouraged today, know this: you are not alone. And you are not done. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is still breathing life into dry bones, dreams, and callings.
You can rise.
Not by striving harder, but by surrendering deeper.
Not because you’re unshakable, but because He is.
We need your voice, your wisdom, your leadership—still.
So rise, daughter. Rise again.
#GatherToLead #LeadingWell #WomenWhoLead #RiseAgain #YouAreNotAlone