When the year starts

Every year, the grace and mercies of Jesus humble me, and 2025 was no different. Joy and sorrow, anticipation and fulfillment, sowing and reaping often intermingled. It was sometimes exhausting, yet always an invitation to stop looking within and instead look up to the One who made heaven and earth, from whom my help comes.

When the year starts, we have no idea what it will entail. We know that anything can happen, but we don’t know the extent of it. So we take life as it comes—highs and lows, things that we expect, and others that just stump us. But the great thing is that God does not watch us live our lives from a distance. He comes close and walks with us.

It is in His name, Emmanuel—God with us—and El Roi, the God who sees me. He doesn’t see me indifferently. He sees me with compassion, claims me as His beloved, and prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He is the King of kings, who bridged the gap between the King and His subjects when He came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, destroying what stood between Him and me.

I have learned that any number of things can happen in a year. I cannot anticipate all that could happen, but I know: Jesus walks with me. While I take life as it comes, He has already seen the end from the beginning. He has already won the battle. So, He rests through the storm because the storm submits to Him. And with Him being my portion, He invites me to cast my anxieties on Him and rest in His might.

So if you are a planner, wondering: How can I plan my 2026? What am I going to do? How will I troubleshoot along the way? You do that—it’s good. But you and I know that we can’t account for everything.  

And if you are the spontaneous kind who takes life as it comes, that’s good too. But you and I also know that even with extreme spontaneity, there are things that just knock the wind out of you. 

But here’s the great news: you don’t have to walk through life alone. Maybe you already don’t walk alone because you’ve met this wonderfully majestic King who walks with you.

Whether you plan or don’t plan, whether you say “2026 is going to be my year” or "it’s just another year,” my challenge to you and myself is to: 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Whatever comes, don’t sweat it. Or sweat it, but the right way—in the secret place. 

When life becomes hard, go into the secret place. Look to Him. Make your requests known and pour your heart out to Him. But also listen to His sweet healing voice. And thank Him.

Thank Him for the pain, the hurt, the disappointment. Thank Him for hope, for joy, for peace, for Himself. For He is the greatest Gift, our greatest Asset. The One who moved heaven and earth to make you His. And He is coming back soon for the one He loves, and that is you. Are you ready for His return? If not, there is no better or greater resolution for 2026.