lessons from 2025- an honest reflection.
another year has come and gone. as the saying goes, the days are long & the years are short.
looking back on this past year, there was a lot that happened in my life. I completed a two year residency program, earned my masters degree, started a new job, quit that same job, had some fun and hard moments in between.
it’s important to not just let the year pass us by. there is something we can learn in the everyday rhythm of our lives. looking back on our years helps us to reflect, revisit, and revise for the new year ahead.
there were a lot of things the Lord taught me throughout 2025, so I wanted to write them down and reflect on the good and the bad of 2025. so, here are a few things God taught me from this past year.
what 2025 taught me:
be okay with not knowing your next.
growing up, there was always a next step. after pre-school comes elementary school, after elementary school comes middle school, after middle school comes high school, after high school comes college, and after college comes a job (for most people).
this year, it felt like I had no next step. after finishing residency, I did start a job, but eventually quit that job because it didn’t feel like the right fit for me. I felt like there wasn’t a “right next step” to take after making this decision. I’m still in the unknown & in-between, but some of the most valuable moments are found in this season. I have more time with the Lord, more time to lean into Him, trust Him, and see Him move all around me.
as someone who likes to have a plan and know what’s next, the Lord really removed that comfort and security for me by putting me in a season where I don’t have a set plan. I’m learning to trust in Him to guide me, as He’s always done in my life.
be content where you are.
there’s a quote that says, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” it’s pretty cheesy haha, but there is a lot of truth to this. I notice I’m extremely unhappy when I’m comparing myself to others. there is no gain when I compare myself, only loss. when I compare myself to others, I’m focusing on their life instead of mine. I’m focusing on what I don’t have instead of what I do have. I’m focusing on trying to be like someone else instead of being like me.
Paul talks about the importance of being content in Philippians 4:11-13. He says, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (NIV).
the secret of being content is living for Christ and trusting His plan. when I focus on the race He has for me, I am continuing in the pursuit of His calling on my life, His will for me, and His timing. it’s a waste of my time, my resources, and my life comparing myself to others. this is a truth the Lord has to teach me over and over again, as it’s a temptation I have to compare. I even have Instagram deleted right now, because I know my temptation is to compare. more often than not, you have to get rid of the thing that is tempting you to overcome your temptation.
the Holy Spirit brings comfort & peace, not confusion & pain.
there was a time last year where I felt confused by the environment I was in and what I was being told. I had to learn through a bit of deconstruction that ultimately led to reconstruction that the Holy Spirit does not bring confusion or pain, but comfort and peace. the Holy Spirit is our comforter, advocate, & helper. what I discovered is that some people use the Holy Spirit to manipulate, and that was never God’s plan. I’m here to tell you that the Holy Spirit does bring conviction, but along with that conviction comes a feeling of God’s overwhelming love for you and for me. I had to learn to discern the Holy Spirit’s voice over human voices.
Paul says in 1st Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace” (NLT). remember that you have the Holy Spirit to lean on as your comforter, advocate, & helper.
find wise counsel.
I actually look for counsel now instead of running away from it. I was afraid that if I asked for help or wanted to ask for advice, I would be seen as weak or not enough to do something on my own. however, the Bible is very clear that wise counsel is extremely crucial when making important decisions or just needing some direction.
Proverbs 15:22 states, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (NIV). wise counsel has helped me make right and wise decisions, lead me closer to the Lord, and learn from others ahead of me in life. if you don’t have wise counsel, I suggest that you pray to the Lord to bring a few wise people into your life to speak into you and call out things you may not see in yourself. I am thankful for the people who have spoken the truth in love to me (Ephesians 4:15) and have cared about me enough to say the hard things. I am a better person because of my wise counsel, and I believe you will be, too.
trusting God’s plan is better than trusting my plan.
this is a journey that God seems to love to take me on every year. I have noticed that I have tendencies to control my environment and the outcomes. I have learned the hard way that living life with God doesn’t work when I try to control my surroundings. I have had to “let go and let God” as cheesy as that saying is, but it is true. I’ve always known God’s plan is better than my plan, but I haven’t always believed it. right now, I can confidently say I know and believe that God’s plan is greater than mine. romans 8:28 is one of my life verses. Paul proclaims in this verse, “and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (NLT). I may want what’s good for me, but God wants what’s best for me, and I can rest knowing that He has a plan and a future for me (Jeremiah 29:11).
God doesn’t waste a season.
we all go through different seasons of our lives. just like God takes the earth through different seasons of fall, winter, spring, and summer, God takes each of us through different seasons. there have been plenty of times where I felt like a certain season of my life was a waste or that I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do. the Lord has taught me that no seasons is a waste. as I read Scripture, I see time and time again that God doesn’t waste anything. He has a plan and purpose for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1). one of my favorite verses is Habakuk 3:17-19 where Habakuk states,
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights (NLT).this verse reminds us that even though the crops and flowers seem to be failing, God’s strength and salvation prevails.
Isaiah 55:10-11 proclaims,
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” (NLT).I am reminded that God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and that He keeps His promises to us (2nd Corinthians 1:20). God isn’t wasting this season.
do it afraid.
there will never be a time in my life where I feel completely ready. being “ready” is a myth. where did this myth come from? I personally think it’s come from social media, where everything and everyone looks perfect. where people don’t share the behind the scenes, messy reality of life.
the truth is, none of us will ever feel “ready”. there are countless people in Scripture who God called that didn’t feel “ready”. Moses, Jeremiah, Abraham, Esther, Peter, Paul; all of these people felt some level of inadequacy and that they weren’t “ready” to do what God has called them to do. Moses wasn’t ready because he had a speech impediment. Jeremiah wasn’t ready because he thought he was too young. Abraham wasn’t ready because he didn’t understand why God would choose him to be the Father of many nations. Esther wasn’t ready to save the Jews because she didn’t think God had called her to do it. Peter wasn’t ready by any means to make disciples, he was the most brash of the disciples and even denied Jesus. Paul murdered Christians before he was converted to the faith, but he wrote most of the New Testament.
all of this is to remind you and me that we can do it afraid. we don’t have to be perfect to be ready to step into the unknown. we don’t have to be ready to be fully obedient to God. the good news is, God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
I’m not behind.
just like the first lesson I learned this year, I had to realize that I’m not behind. I’ve talked a lot about comparison in this post and it’s because it connects to a lot of these life lessons God taught me this past year. I am not behind because God has created a specific timeline for my life. there is no point in comparing myself to others, because He has uniquely created me “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). just because someone else has what you desire that you don’t have yet, doesn’t mean you’re behind or that God is holding out on you.
Romans 8:28, the verse my blog is named after, reminds you and me that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. it’s so easy to compare, to try and figure out how to get to where someone else is. but when we truly rest in who God says He is, that He is faithful to complete His promises to us, we can rest assured knowing that we aren’t behind in His eyes. you and I are right where we need to be.
that’s probably not everything I learned this year, but it’s a good bit of what God continues to teach me as I learn to daily surrender to Him. my prayer for 2026 is that God will continue to shape me, mold me, and make me into the woman He has called me to be. to die daily to myself and to trust in Him completely.
