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In many ways, the past couple of years have felt like one long saga of moving from one stressful event straight into the next.

There were stretches where it felt like we barely had time to catch our breath before the next thing hit. We’ve walked through some of our lowest lows, moments where we felt overwhelmed, worn thin, and honestly without much hope. We’ve lived through painful health emergencies and deep health crises that shook our sense of stability and forced us to face how little control we actually have.

There were seasons where we felt wrung dry, with nothing left to give, yet still needing to show up, keep moving forward, and carry on at full steam because life didn’t pause just because we were exhausted.

And yet…in the middle of that dryness, God was still weaving beautiful blessings into our days.

Sometimes those blessings were big and obvious. Sometimes they were quiet mercies, just enough strength for the day, just the right person showing up at the right time, just enough clarity to take the next step. I would notice them in the moment. I would thank God for them. And then, almost immediately, my heart would shift back into worry mode—bracing myself for whatever might come next.

I didn’t linger in gratitude the way I should have.

I didn’t always carry that thanksgiving forward into the next crisis. I didn’t let the remembrance of God’s faithfulness steady me the way it could have. Instead, I often moved from blessing to blessing without letting them fully sink in—without letting them reshape how I faced what was ahead.

As I sit now, making goals for 2026 and thinking through what we want to do differently as a family, I can feel that something is changing. I sense God leading us into a new season, a season where we might finally be able to breathe a little. A season where we can establish better rhythms and more life-giving routines. A season where we can put one foot in front of the other, not frantic or frantic with fear, but steady—trusting God with the outcome.

And yet, as hopeful as I am about what’s ahead, I don’t want to run headlong into 2026 and leave this past year behind like it didn’t matter.

I don’t want to forget what God has carried us through.

I want to reach back and grasp all those big and small moments where God showed up faithfully. I want to remember the times He sustained us when we didn’t know how we’d make it. I want to repeat those praises to myself, especially on the days when fear tries to take over again. I want the remembrance of God’s goodness to propel us into 2026, not the desire to escape what’s been hard.

Scripture is full of this invitation to remember. Over and over, God tells His people to look back, not to dwell in the past, but to anchor their faith. The wilderness was never meant to be forgotten. It was meant to be remembered rightly.

Because when we forget what God has done, we enter the next season fragile and anxious, always wondering if He will show up again. But when we remember, we move forward grounded and steady, knowing that the same God who sustained us before will go before us again.

The suffering we’ve walked through hasn’t been meaningless. It’s taught us how to pray when words fail. It’s revealed where we were relying on our own strength instead of God’s. It’s stripped away illusions of control and replaced them with deeper trust. It’s reminded us how desperately we need daily bread, not just long-term plans.

And maybe most importantly, it’s taught us that God’s faithfulness is not theoretical, it’s practical, daily, and personal.

As we step into 2026, I’m holding these truths close:

Our life isn’t too ordinary for God to be working in it.
Our resources aren’t a mistake.
Our limitations aren’t proof of failure.
Our season isn’t an accident.

What God has given us is enough for today’s obedience. And whatever comes next, He will meet us there too.

There’s nothing wrong with hoping for a lighter year. There’s nothing wrong with asking God for good things. But I don’t want my hope to come from the belief that “next year will finally fix everything.” I want it to come from the quiet confidence that God has been faithful—and He will continue to be.

So as we step into 2026, my prayer is simple:

Lord, help me remember.
Help me carry gratitude forward instead of fear.
Help me trust You with what’s ahead because I’ve seen You show up before.
And help me walk into this next season steady, grounded, and grateful, no matter what it holds.