Happy New Year...?

Happy New Year…?

Happy New Year- the chant sung across the globe when the clock struck midnight on January 1st. Homes, religious establishments, and secular venues all fix their eyes on the same clock. Hospitals, grocery stores, and essential workplaces join in, erupting with a shared sense of optimism. 

All seems to pause at the new reset. And yet, for many, though indeed new, nothing about 2026 brought a sense of genuine happiness. The second ushering in the new year did not miraculously erase the baggage of years past. So, some of us did what we have learned to do for some years now- we paste a smile on our faces and share in the social ritual with hugs and kisses.

If that has been your sentiment, I hope this blog post finds you. 

Perhaps the enemy has been attacking your mind and suffocating your joy. Potentially, your foe has taken turns dismantling your health, finances, work life, aspirations- or worse, sabotaging the well-being of those closest to you. It’s been one thing after the other in 2025, yet suddenly the world expects you to drink from the cup of happiness? 

How is that supposed to become your new norm when you’ve been running on autopilot for months- maybe even years? When you have nearly forgotten what the real you sounds like, having lost the essence that once made you unique. Part of you no longer hopes for what feels long gone, but rather wishes for clearer skies ahead. And somehow, you’ve managed to do the best you can with what little you have left. 

The truth- if spoken in its entirety- is one you’ve learned to keep hidden from everyone for fear of judgment. After all, if religious people could nail their Messiah to a cross, what might they do to you if they knew you felt weak? It’s not that you’ve lost faith as a believer; it’s that your humanness is begging for a break. So you keep your emotions at bay and live in a suppressed state. If released, if you dared to speak, those emotions might peel off the strong soldier’s armor you’ve been polishing for years past. 

So you’ve decided to push through. 

Still serving in ministry. Still pouring into the lives of your brethren from a patched vessel. Still encouraging coworkers and family members, still being their sounding board, because you can’t bear the thought of letting them get a taste of your world. 

You’ve told yourself countless times that you refuse to bleed on those you love. And so you fall back into a learned cadence: you straighten up, paste a smile across your face, and gently part your lips to utter the infamous 3 words: Happy New Year. 

Have I described you yet? 

This is not unfamiliar territory to me. I’ve navigated through seasons like this before, and if I’m honest, there are still days when waves rise, threatening to drown me. I’m not here to offer you a 3-step program to get out of your situation. If victory were that easy, you would have figured it out already. 

But I invite you to consider your circumstances from a different perspective. 

I know! It's easier said than done. I haven't taken a step in your shoes, and maybe I wouldn't be able to. Some of what some of you have gone through makes hope feel like a difficult pill to swallow. The loss of a parent. The burial of a young relative. God forbid, the loss of a child. A life you have built, crumbling brick by brick. Irreconcilable divorce. Terrifying diagnosis. Shattered dreams. Bankruptcy. Disharmony in your family.

How can a happy new year be born from such pain? And perhaps most importantly, why would it be? 

I’m not promising an easy fix, but I’m here to point you back to Jesus! Somewhere, somehow, pain has an interesting way of fogging up our lens and causing us to lose sight of the real truth: He is still God, despite our chaos.

He’s held my hands when everything felt lost. And with Him and through Him, I’ve come to understand that God isn't always as interested in stopping a storm as he is in teaching you how to command the waves.

Therefore, throughout 2026, I’ll walk alongside you, through those blog posts, as you walk with me. I hope that togetherness will get us all in a place where we get to say and mean with a sincere heart:

Happy New Year. 

Your sister always

Chris