Entering a New Year with God

There’s something sacred about the space between years. It’s a quiet in-between, where the noise of what has been hasn’t fully faded, and the unknown of what’s ahead hasn’t fully arrived. Today at church service, we were invited to sit in that space with God, resisting the urge to rush forward and instead taking time to reflect on the year we are leaving behind with honesty and prayer.

The service centred around the practice of the Examen: pausing, reflecting, and praying. As simple as that sounds, I realised how rarely I allow myself to truly slow down and look back at my life with God, rather than just moving quickly into the next season.

Looking Back: Noticing God’s Presence

 During the service, we were invited to ask ourselves a series of intentional questions:

  • Where has God been present in my life this past year?

  • Where have I felt frustrated, resistant, or regretful, perhaps moments where I didn’t fully follow my calling?

  • Where has God shown me joy?

  • What opportunities and challenges has He placed before me?

Sitting with these questions, I became more aware of how present God has been, even in moments where I felt unsure, disappointed, or distant. Some of the things I was tempted to label as failures began to look more like places where God was forming me, stretching my trust, and gently inviting me back to Him.

Reflection, I’m learning, isn’t about judgment. It’s about awareness. It’s about noticing where God has been faithful, even when I haven’t always been.

Turning Toward the Year Ahead

The service didn’t stop at reflection. We were also invited to pray intentionally into the year ahead, to approach 2026 not with a list of resolutions, but with surrendered hearts.

One question in particular stayed with me:
Where is God calling me, and who is He calling me to be in 2026?

That question feels both hopeful and challenging. It asks me to loosen my grip on my own expectations and trust that God’s plans, even the unseen ones, are good.

Choosing a Word for the Year

The sermon also introduced the idea of choosing one word to carry into the year ahead, a word that reflects what God may be inviting you into.

The speaker shared how her word for this year had been patience. Though she still struggled with it, she noticed something significant: she found more opportunities to bring that struggle to God. Even without perfection, there was growth. Even in weakness, there was formation.

That deeply resonated with me. A word for the year isn’t about self-improvement; it’s about posture. It becomes a prayer we return to again and again, a reminder of where we are being invited to trust God more deeply.

As I continue to reflect, I’m asking God what word He might be placing on my heart for 2026, not something I choose lightly, but something that reflects where He wants to shape and meet me.

Entering the New Year with Surrender

As we look toward 2026, the invitation feels clear: full surrender.

To trust God with our timelines.
To lean on Him in uncertainty.
To give Him not just our plans, but our hearts.

This is a year to draw closer to Him, to become godly men and women, and to refocus our attention on where He wants it, whatever season of life we find ourselves in.

Becoming more like Christ doesn’t happen accidentally. It happens when we pause, listen, and respond.

So as this new year approaches, my prayer is simple:
May we reflect honestly, surrender fully, and step forward faithfully, trusting that the God who was with us this past year will continue to lead us into the next.

Love always,

Ruby xo

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