The Life You Planned vs. the Life God Is Painting

What do you do when the picture you had for your life looks nothing like the one you’re actually living?Actress Rachel Mattila Amberson joins Willow for an honest conversation about unexpected change, motherhood, miscarriage, career dreams, and learning to trust God when life doesn’t go according to plan. Rachel spent eight years in Los Angeles pursuing acting, training with coaches, auditioning, and building a career she loved. But when her husband was offered a ministry opportunity in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel made the difficult decision to leave LA—and the dream she had worked so hard to pursue.What followed was a season of loss Rachel never anticipated. Her husband’s job fell through, Rachel experienced a missed miscarriage, and she found herself grieving multiple dreams at once. She shares candidly about anger, disappointment, counseling, and the people who helped carry hope for her when she struggled to believe things could get better.Today, Rachel is mom to her son Zion—and she’s learning that a changed dream doesn’t necessarily mean a dead dream. Her love for acting is still part of who she is, but she’s releasing the belief that her calling has to unfold in one particular way. Instead, she’s learning to hold her dreams with open hands, embrace the unexpected gift of motherhood, and trust that God’s picture for her life may be different—and even more beautiful—than the one she originally painted.Rachel and Willow also talk about the pressure women feel to choose between motherhood and other dreams, the danger of wrapping our identity around what we accomplish, and the freedom that comes when we stop constantly looking ahead and become present to what God has given us today.If you’re grieving a dream, wondering why your life hasn’t turned out the way you expected, or struggling to trust God with what comes next, Rachel’s story is a reminder worth holding onto: God isn’t finished with the picture yet.Meet Rachel Mattila AmbersonRachel Mattila Amberson is an actress and proud SAG-AFTRA member who has spent much of her life pursuing her love of performing. One of her favorite acting experiences was working alongside Rosario Dawson and James Earl Jones. She’s also a wife and mom who loves soccer, lifting weights, running, hot yoga, baking a good berry pie, and spending time with her family.After years of pursuing acting in Los Angeles, Rachel’s life took several unexpected turns that challenged her ideas about success, calling, motherhood, and what she thought her future would look like. Through it all, she’s learning to trust that acting is something she loves—but it isn’t the entirety of who she is.Key TakeawaysWhen your dream changes: A different path doesn’t necessarily mean your dream is dead. God may be inviting you to release your expectations for how it has to happen.When life doesn’t look like you pictured: Give yourself permission to grieve. Rachel experienced real anger and loss when several parts of the future she imagined seemed to disappear at once.When you can’t see what God is doing: Keep choosing trust. Rachel’s repeated prayer became, “God, I trust You. I trust You. I trust You.”When you’re struggling to hope: Find people who can believe for you. Rachel credits her sisters and community with helping her get back up when she felt stuck in grief.When your identity is wrapped up in a dream: Remember that what you do is only part of who you are. Rachel loves acting, but she is also a mom, wife, sister, daughter, and woman of faith.When you’re torn between motherhood and other dreams: Give yourself grace to hold both. Motherhood can become a beautiful new dream without erasing the gifts and passions God has placed within you.When you’re overwhelmed by the future: Come back to today. Rachel shares how focusing on the life in front of her has helped quiet the anxiety of figuring out the entire picture.When God’s plan doesn’t make sense: Remember that the picture isn’t finished yet. What feels like failure or loss today may look very different when you can see more of the story.How This Episode Will Encourage YouMaybe you thought you’d be married by now. Maybe you pictured yourself as a mom, imagined a different career, or believed a dream would have happened by this point in your life.When reality doesn’t match the picture we’ve carried for years, it’s easy to believe we’re behind, stuck, or somehow living the wrong story.Rachel’s journey reminds us that we can grieve the picture we expected while allowing God to give us permission to dream again. We can pursue the passions He’s placed within us while also being present to the unexpected gifts right in front of us.And when we can’t see how any of it fits together, sometimes faith looks like repeating three simple words:I trust You.God is still painting. And He’s not finished yet.