Starting over

2026 is now upon us and it feels like many people couldn’t wait to finish off and finally wrap up 2025 – and fast. At most this is my personal sentiment,  based on what some friends, loved ones and I have quietly concluded in the past few weeks, considering all the issues our country faces today.

So much has happened this year and as it comes to an end, so much continues to unravel while people wait for answers and hope for a silver lining, a positive and consoling story to cap off 2025.

Yet as we wait and ponder, these past few days (for me at most) have helped me realize that God indeed works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose, as  Romans 8:28 says.

The Christmas spirit continues to remind us how Jesus loved us first and because of this, we who love Him are called according to His purpose, even in the difficult times, by confidently putting our faith in God who orchestrates all the circumstances of our lives.

A difficult situation may not make sense to us but God can weave them together in a good way over time. God is doing something good for us all and our hardships teach us to rely on God and not on ourselves. We may not see it now but later, we will understand that God’s promises are true and we must trust in His wisdom and sovereignty.

Jeremiah 29: 11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Believing in this promise helps us understand God’s role in everything that is happening in our lives today, even in our country. God’s role is an active involvement and we can be rest assured that He will ultimately turn what is evil into good.

There is hope in all our suffering and as a nation, we can be rest assured that God’s wisdom and sovereignty is something we can place our trust in, even when His plans are not immediately clear. God sees the bigger picture and is always in control.

We often speak about the resiliency of the Filipino but we forget that this resiliency is not found in his strength alone but rather, it is anchored on our faith and on the promises of Christ.

As we welcome in a new year and while we busy ourselves with festivities and New Year’s resolutions, let us also be encouraged, for our God promises a hopeful future beyond any of our dreams and aspirations – He has it all planned out and we must rely on Him.

As we start over, may we all draw nearer to God, trusting that whatever hardships we face, He will always have the final word and we can be rest assured that in the end, it is all for the good.

Our lives will not always be rainbows and butterflies but our trials will undoubtedly be an opportunity for us to know God better, trusting that He sees beyond our pain. Our finite minds cannot fully comprehend the things God has in store for us, especially when we are going through tough times, but we can trust in His promises, knowing that His long-term plan for us is a future full of great things.

We may not have all the answers on what was, what is and what is to come, but God does and we can certainly place our trust in Him.

Happy New Year to one and all and may your starting overs be filled with new beginnings, hope and fresh starts,  believing that as we move forward, we can trust Jesus.