Crushed Not Cursed

Written By: S. Tuttle

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you probably already know I’m a low-key nerd when it comes to space, national security, or anything that involves strategy and precision, though I don’t always broadcast that side of myself. But every now and then I hear something that I can’t shake, and it sticks with me longer than I’d like to admit.

Last year, I came across this space fact:

If a rocket is launched toward Mars, and its trajectory is off by even just one degree, it’ll miss the planet by around 2.4 million miles. That’s more than ten times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Wild, right?

Something about that hit me in a way I didn’t expect. That kind of precision matters. That kind of alignment is critical. It got me thinking – not just about rockets or space travel, but about life. About how the smallest missteps, delays, or detours even if they seem minor in the moment, they have massive implications on getting you where you are meant to be.

I’ve thought about that a lot lately. Especially because positioning has been a theme that keeps coming up in my life… No matter if I’m ready for it or not.

When you come from chaos, trauma, or brokenness, it can be hard to believe that your life is on track. It’s easy to develop imposter syndrome. It’s easier to walk into a room and question whether you belong than to sit confidently in the seat God placed you in. You start wondering if maybe you missed your window or if maybe you’re too late to become the person you were supposed to be.

But here’s what I’ve learned; and I’m still learning daily:

With God, it’s rarely punishment. It’s usually positioning.

He’s not out to get you. He’s out to place you.

There have been seasons in my life where people probably looked in (or read a blog) and thought, “You poor thing.” And to be honest, there were times I agreed with them. Times I felt buried by the weight of grief, parental-addiction, poverty, abandonment… Times I questioned if anything good could grow out of that kind of soil. But now, on the other side of some of those valleys, I can see it for what it was: alignment.

Sarah Jakes Roberts once said:

“Now couldn’t have happened unless THEN.”

Let that sink in.

It’s so true. The life I’m living now; the healing, the clarity, the purpose – none of it would’ve happened without the heartbreak. Without the nights I cried myself to sleep. Without the instability that taught me how to fight for peace. Without the trauma that God has somehow turned into a testimony.

And listen, I’m not saying it was easy. I’m not glorifying the struggle (the enemy will never get the glory here). But I am saying I can look back now and see that every detour had a purpose. Every delay had a reason. And every loss made room for something I wouldn’t have reached otherwise.

Now I thank God for both. For now, and for then.

Because I realize something… God doesn’t just throw us into purpose. He positions us for it. And sometimes, the process of getting there feels like failure. But what if it’s not failure at all? What if it’s fine-tuning? What if it’s divine alignment?

A few more fun alignment facts (because I can’t help myself):

In NASCAR, if your wheels are out of alignment by just a tiny margin, you’ll lose speed and burn through tires way faster. Alignment keeps the car on track and preserves the parts that matter most.

Chiropractors know a single misaligned vertebra can impact your whole body – your posture, balance, even your nervous system.

In music, one instrument playing off key can throw off the harmony of the entire orchestra.

The Eiffel Tower actually grows about 6 inches taller in the summer. Why? Thermal expansion.

Even metal knows how to shift with the season.

Maybe that’s the whole message here… Life is less about being perfectly positioned all the time and more about learning to adjust, to shift, and to trust that God’s hand is still guiding you – even when the road feels unfamiliar.

You’re not lost. You’re not late. You’re not too far gone.

You’re just being positioned. You’re just being aligned.

And when the time is right, you won’t miss what’s meant for you.

Not even by one degree.

The smallest one will become a family of a thousand. And the least one will become a powerful nation. I, the Lord, will make it happen in its time.” [Isaiah 60:22 NLT]