Well, looking back on this post from the beginning of the year, I had high aspirations for all I was going to learn about depending on God’s strength this year. Different months brought their own challenges, and I had to be constantly reminded to take it all back to God over and over again. How quickly we forget.

There was literally a month when I texted a friend, what do you do when you just feel so overwhelmed? And she had to remind me to pray. The psalm I memorized in January, Psalm 61, literally starts by saying: “O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary” (v. 1-3, NLT). How quickly I forget.

In December my house was hit by the flu and strep, and I, who never get sick, was hit hardest of all. If anything taught me that I can’t do it all, it was that week and a half, where just getting out of bed took all the energy I had for the day. It was overwhelming. I spent a lot of time crying out to the Lord. And he answered. We were all well in time for Christmas. But it was a good reminder for me as this year comes to a close that this is a lesson I don’t think I fully learned this year. So my word for next year will be an extension of this as God continues to work on me in the new year. But that post to come in 2026…

One thing I did learn is that God is dependable. Even when there is nothing else to rely on, God is always there, steady, stable, and steadfast. I took the month of December to review some verses that talk about God being a refuge, and that is what I kept coming back to. He is safe (Ps. 16:1). He is ever-present (Ps. 46:1). My salvation and my honor depend on God (Ps. 62:7). He is better (Ps. 118:8). It is a blessing to take refuge in Him (Ps. 34:8, all NIV).

I’d love to hear from you, if you had a word this year, what did God teach you?