Howdy, my friends!
The past year was full of conversations with God in my quiet times, and I am glad the Lord met me where I was. When we pray, the Lord listens, but do we wait to hear back from Him? Just like a writing concept: Old before the new, a principle that says to construct a sentence starting with old words before new words. I’d like to share a few key lessons I have learned over the past year, praying they stay with me and anyone else through the new year.
1. We can get to a state of spiritual burnout, but God is ready to refresh our souls.
The scripture about a deer longing for streams of water comes to mind (Psalm 42:1). The complexity of life leaves one depleted and in constant need of respite. Spiritual burnout occurs when we carry burdens we were never meant to bear, leaving us exhausted by unmet needs. We cannot meet these needs unless we turn them over to the Sovereign Lord to care for. The Lord calls us to submit our cares to Him because He is interested in our affairs and would like to take care of us. As humans, we do our best, which we should, but sometimes forget to allow God to do the rest. Let’s prioritize our relationship with God this year, handing over our worries and staying connected to the true source of life to avoid spiritual burnout. We don’t know what we are missing until we get to a point where we confess, “I really can’t do this. God carry me through.”
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV).
2. The Lord calls us to a surrendered life. Surrender.
One fateful day in summer, I went to Goodwill and felt compelled to check out the book section (The book section is always a favorite stop for me, but this time was different). In the sea of books, a particular book caught my attention and changed my life: Surrendered by Barb Roose. This book was designed as a study, with references to scriptures, prayers, and insights, which allowed me to meditate and write down my thoughts. It became my little but profound lesson time with God through the summer. During the study, I fully accepted that I was a fixer. I always knew this because I was the first child and couldn’t help but plan, help, and be proactive in everything I did. This time, the Lord made me see it is okay to be a fixer, but it is time to surrender. At the time, I was juggling multiple things at once and nursing a disappointment when an expectation fell through. I had questions, I felt so sad, and was getting ready to start making alternative plans when the Lord found me with this book. My feelings were reined in, and He walked with me, step by step, to show me why to let go. In the book, we followed Jesus’ journey through the wilderness, a journey filled with many life lessons. The Lord made me see that, as a fixer, I need to let go so I don’t interfere with what God is doing for others in their individual wilderness journeys. Aaargh… that was liberating for me and truly timely. I still catch myself trying to fix things, but surrendering is no longer uncomfortable, I promise.
3. Foundations: Make Jesus an anchor for life.
The past year was one for the books, with disruptions and major global events that left one questioning everything. In all things, what held us down was our faith in God and belief in His promises. When life pulls at us at both ends, we can always find solace in the word of God. Our identity remains intact in Jesus, no matter what the seasons bring. In a world of trends and fads, let Jesus be your anchor. Nothing stays forever, but doing the will of God does.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:8-11 (NIV)
4. Remember to be grateful.
Unconditional gratitude is often overlooked. This means staying grateful no matter the outcome. By God’s grace, I have learned not to wait to express my gratitude until things go the way I want. I am thankful for the timely word of God revealed to me as logos and rhema. He guided and taught me in all things. I cannot truly say I completely listened or obeyed all the time; that is my work in progress. In every season, it may appear the Lord was far, but He never left me. I may not pick and choose what happens in this life, but I’m thankful I never get to do it alone. Praise God that the seed remains untouched even if the devil tries to attack by planting weeds of distraction. In addition, I’m grateful for the gift of books to glean from other people’s wisdom and sometimes, just to have a good time. My booklist spanned finance, parenting, biography, and even devotionals; most of all, I am thankful for the Bible. In my grad school journey, I am thankful for the times I prayed for speed and help with all the tasks I had to do, and God truly helped me. Overall, the Lord met every kind of need for my family!
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. Psam 77:11 (NIV).
As we move into the new, I share below a scripture I learnt about in church last week. Are we ready to learn more from God in 2026?Â
Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 1 Corinthians 8:2 (NLT)
5. The new – Be still and know that I am God.
This is my family’s word for the year. I am excited to see how the year unfolds for us as we hold on to this word. My friend, in what way will you stand down and stay still to know that He is God this year?
I hope your year is off to a great start!? Happy Blessed New Year!🎆
Congratulations to our friends who graduated or celebrated in the past year. God is good!
Grace and blessings,
Olushola.
