2025 

What kind of a year was it?

 But did you make it through?

 

Well, it’s that time again. December is almost done, and a new year is peeking around the corner. Will it be the year we expect? Will it be the year we hope for? Only God knows the answer to the questions we play over and over in our minds as we turn the page onto a year full of unknowns.

Personally, this past year has been a year of extremes. Highs and lows. Joy and sadness. Hope and despair. But through it all, God has remained faithful.

I began the year with the word I believed God had given me as my word of the year. Change. And what a year of change it has been! Never did I imagine the things he had in store for me.

I can’t even begin to explain the changes I’ve seen in so many ways. But I am so glad that our God doesn’t change. (Malachi 3:6).

I am so glad that he remains the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Despite the struggle that 2025 has been and the hardships it has brought, there have been numerous blessings. Too many to count and some of them hidden.

Praise God for this precious promise found in Lamentations.

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV - It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

These verses hold great hope for me as I know that no matter what happens, how my days go, or how my years pan out, God’s mercies are never-ending and he gives me a fresh start each morning.

Maybe you’ve faced a similar struggle this past year. Maybe you’ve fought some battles you didn’t plan on fighting. Maybe you feel worn and weary and in need of a rest.

Can I encourage you with this: If all you did was make it through, it’s okay.

If you look around at your peers and see all they’ve achieved, if you feel frustrated that others lives seem so blessed and others prosper when you’re finding it hard just to make ends meet, don’t despair.

God does some of his best work in the dark. In the valleys where there is little sunlight, and you feel buried underneath the weight you’re carrying, God is still working. Just as a seed has to lie in the damp, dark soil before it breaks through and reaches for the light, often, it is the same with us.

If all you did was make it through, but you’re still here, you’re still trusting in God’s faithfulness, you’re still putting one foot in front of the other, it’s okay.

You don’t have to have an amazing list of achievements beside your name.

If you were faithful in the little things, God saw it and he took notice of it and he is pleased.

I think sometimes that comparison can become such an enemy to our peace of mind. We see what others are doing on our social media feeds and we hang our heads in despair feeling worthless.

We beat ourselves up over our seeming lack of accomplishments. We wonder why we haven’t achieved our goals, financially, physically. We struggle with feeling insignificant and forgotten by God.

Can I let you in on a little secret? Comparison is often the thief of joy.

Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians against comparing ourselves with others.

2 Corinthians 10:12 KJV - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Comparison can often be crippling. If we spend our days pouring over what others have accomplished and look on in despair at our own accomplishments, we will most likely spiral into a defeated mindset and pretty soon, we will begin to downplay all the little things we do that really hold significance, if only we saw them through God’s eyes.

As you look back on the year gone by, don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t worry if you didn’t achieve big things.

If you are still breathing, then God’s not done with you yet!

If you made it through the past year and you are still walking with the Lord, trusting him, claiming his promises, reading his Word, fellowshipping with other believers and obeying God as you take it one day at a time, then you have achieved great things!

Weary mother, if you feel like a failure because you haven’t achieved the goals you set and yet you kept your children fed and clothed and your husband loved and cared for, you did well. God noticed. Even if no one else did. God did.

If you weren’t able to save money like you wanted to because of unexpected bills, but you gave to God’s work generously with what you had and were a wise steward of God’s providence, then you did well. God noticed. Even if your bank balance was not tipped in your favour, God remained faithful.

If you worked at your job, and gave all you had in service to God, sharing his love through your testimony and yet you felt unappreciated, God noticed.

What I’m trying to emphasize is that it’s okay if all you did this past year was simply make it through.

Our goal as a believer should be to grow in our spiritual walk and develop a closer relationship with Christ through spending time in his Word and talking to him on a regular basis through prayer.

The earthly pursuits we chase after pale into insignificance in comparison to building God’s kingdom and chasing hard after him.

Don’t be concerned with achieving great things in the world’s eyes.

Can I encourage you to look back over the past year and take a spiritual inventory.

Are you in a better place in your Christian walk than you were 12 months ago? Have you prioritized time with God? Have you learnt new truths as you studied the Word? Have you served in the church in whatever God put on your heart to do? Has it been a gradual climb?

Maybe you haven’t been able to do all the things you hoped to in the past year, but if you are growing as a Christian and serving God with all your heart, then you’ve done well. God noticed.

God is not looking for great worldly achievements. God is looking for heart growth. He’s looking for things that hold eternal value.

And God is looking for a heart of gratitude.

He puts us through the fire in order to purify us (Job 23:10) He knows that it’s the hard times that build Godly character into our lives.

Through the trials he sends, we are to praise him continually.

Hebrews 13:15 KJV - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

We are to be thanking him for ALL things. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

I find that if I focus on all I have to be thankful for, my hardships and the days of struggle don’t play such a big part in my memory. They are pushed into the background as I pour out my worship to him.

Yes, the past year has been a year of change. A year of frustration, disappointment, hardship, pain and struggle, but I rest in the promise that God is still faithful. God is still good. (2 Thessalonians 3:3; Lamentations 3:23; Philippians 1:6)

He has taught me many valuable lessons in the past 12 months, and I have learned more than ever that I can trust him. I can trust him with ALL my days. I can trust him with my finances. I can trust him with my health. I can trust him with my relationships. I can trust him with my heart.

2026 looms ahead and already it looks to be a year full of unknowns. I see some hard things coming my way and although I’m unsure how I’m going to navigate through them, I know that as I walk, he walks beside me. If I fall, I have only to reach out my hand. If I cry, he sees my tears. If I raise my voice in worship, he hears me.

I have the promise of his presence.

I can trust my unknown future to a known God. The God who made all things. The God who already knows what lies ahead. I don’t have to fear. (Psalm 23)

So, friend, don’t be afraid of the wind. It’s not about the power of the storm, it’s about who you have in the boat with you.

Keep God close. Don’t walk away from him. Keep near him. Let him guide your steps. If you’re walking blind, keep a tight hold of his hand. When you fall, he’ll be there to pick you up.

Stay in fellowship. Meditate on his Word. Develop a heart of gratitude.