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2025 is coming, and if you are like me, you are shocked at how fast 2024 has flown by. The New Year is a great time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the next. We begin to map out our year and make resolutions about how we want to grow. Something both hilarious and frustrating to me is how much the plans and expectations I have for a year can change. We make plans based on our best assumptions about what our lives will be like, but in reality, unexpected changes pop up over and over again. By the end of the year, the plans we made at the beginning often seem comically bad. While these changes can frustrate us, we must understand that we cannot predict God’s plan for our lives, but we can trust that it is better than any plan we make ourselves.

God often grows people in unexpected ways through unexpected means. We set goals and make plans, but God’s plans often completely interrupt our expectations. We may lose friends we never expected to lose, or the job that seemed so secure may suddenly be gone. Perhaps the good health we’ve taken for granted disappears. Our plans can be completely shattered when the things we thought we could rely on are gone. However, sometimes these unexpected changes are good. We may find a new friend, land the dream job, or see long-forgotten prayers answered. These blessings are incredible, but they also change the plans we make on our own.

As we think about how unexpected events shape our lives, consider the first Christmas, which we just celebrated this week. Joseph and Mary had plans to get married and begin their life in Nazareth. Then God intervened: Mary became pregnant out of wedlock, and they found themselves in a stable in Bethlehem. The Son of God being born on earth was undoubtedly a blessing, but it’s unlikely that Joseph had “become Jesus’ stepfather” on his list of resolutions. Later, as they prepared to start their life in Galilee, Joseph received another dream. They had to flee to Egypt indefinitely because Herod wanted to kill Jesus. This couple, running for their lives, had to live in a foreign land. The plans and goals of Joseph and Mary were disrupted, but there is no way they looked back at these changes and were disappointed at how their lives had turned out.

The unexpected difficulties and blessings we face change us in profound ways. They grow us in ways we never could have planned for. As we reflect on the past year, here are a few questions to consider:

  • What were the unexpected difficulties I faced this year?
  • What were the unexpected blessings I experienced this year?
  • How has God’s plan challenged me and grown me this year?
  • How can I give thanks to God for the unplanned difficulties and blessings I have received this year?

Serving Together,

Tyler Boggess