This Year was Brutal, but You Kept Going.

For many of us, this year was brutal.

Painful. Grief-filled. Heavy.

Not the best year, to say the least.

It can feel tempting to just want to jump ahead into the mentality of a new year, and new beginnings.

But I think it’s important to stop for a moment and recognize that even though this year could have wrecked you...

You’re still here.

You’re still alive, still fighting.

Although you might feel so eager for this year to end, it’s possible that someday you look back on this year and think, “that’s the year that grew me.”

This might be the year that you pleaded with God, day in and day out, for the strength to take just one more step.

It might be the year you cried more tears than ever, and begged God to take away your pain.

It might be the year that you learned how much you needed Him because only He could carry you.

I know it’s hard to see it now, but this awful year might be the one that shapes the rest of the years to come... in a beautiful way.

So, look into the next year with hope and expectancy.

But don’t dismiss what this year held.

It held strength and courage each time you got back up.

It held a fight of faith each time you fixed your eyes on Jesus.

You are still here. You kept going.

And God will continue to fight on your behalf.

~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog