It’s very easy to fall into a downward spiral of: ‘Dang it, I didn’t do (insert ridiculous goal) this year!’ or ‘I should have done (insert another crazy goal or task) this year!’ or ‘I didn’t get that raise/promotion that I deserved!’ The list of things that didn’t go the way we planned this year can kinda go on if we let it. 

If you find yourself caught in this storm of ‘I didn’t getta,’ I encourage you to focus on places you saw God move in your life instead, from big to seemingly small. I personally have quite a few ‘this year stunk because’ moments. But when I think of the spots God showed up in big, unexpected ways in my life this year, I either forget about those stinky moments or realize that those moments led to something even more amazing God had for me.

One putrid moment of 2025 in particular was being laid off from my job. There were so many negative thoughts at the time, from ‘I can’t believe this happened to me’ to ‘ Why God’ to ‘I don’t deserve this, in fact, I deserve more!’ Again, the list kind of goes on. Then I see where God has me now at the end of 2025 in a job I absolutely LOVE, am passionate about, and truly feel called by God. I am the Associate Director of Student Ministry, and God did that! When I felt lost and like my year had taken a turn for the absolute worse, God showed up as usual and had something exceedingly better for me! 

When I think of this bigger, seemingly negative, stinky moment, I am filled with so much hope! I know this is just the beginning, and it is not because it is the New Year around the corner, it’s because there are so many places in my life, my heart, and my soul that I feel different and new. As I swiped open my phone today, my Bible App widget said it all in 2 Corinthians 5:17: ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.’ 

Friend, if you are reading this and you start to remember those bummed-out or painful feelings that your year did not go as well as you had planned, just know that God is at work RIGHT NOW. God is moving in your life and setting up the perfect plan that you cannot even imagine. So draw near to God, talk to Him, and listen to where God is going to take you next!

See ya in the next post, with ✝️Lots of Faith & Lil’ Bit of Fur 🐾,

Melanie Drews-Paws on God’s Path