Ecclesiastes 3:11 - My year verse for 2025. “Beautiful in its time,” “eternity set in our hearts,” we "cannot see the whole scope of God's work.”  2024 had a pretty harsh ending. I felt the Lord ask me for a year. I mean I know He asks us for a lifetime but I knew what He meant in the request. My 2025 New Year’s post was pretty simple. A couple of verses and a song close to my heart that I surrendered to Him. I told the Lord I would try, I would probably fight it the entire year, but I would try to release my desires knowing I can’t see the scope of His work from beginning to end. And here we are, the end of 2025. We made it :) 

The encouragement from the last Sunday sermon of the year was to remember, release, and respond as well as ask the Lord to “seal up the year”. 2 Cor 5:17-21 We are new creations in Jesus. Spending the last few days in remembrance and reflection have been refreshing. Has it been a difficult year? Absolutely! But have I experienced the Lord’s presence, protection, and provision in ways I never have before?? Also “absolutely!” 

My son’s team made the state playoffs which meant a late November beach trip. A few days before we left a dear friend and someone I would consider a spiritual mentor sent me a random text. He had prayed for me that day and his prayer was that I “would be carried by that single set of footprints in the sand”. He had no idea we would soon leave for the beach, nor did he realize “Footprints in the Sand” is one of my favorite poems. My mom gave it to me as a gift for my dorm room when I graduated high school. 

As I reflected on the meaning of carried while sitting on the sand later that week, the obvious of being carried because of exhaustion or wounded came to mind. A single set of prints during those moments. As I was playing in the waves and we were body surfing, a different image came to mind with no footprints, but carried by the waves. (side note Psalm 77:19 talks about no footprints) There is such joy, fun, and playfulness found in letting go and just being carried as the water rushes over you. I looked up scriptures with the word carried and found Isaiah 46:3-4. “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Those words hit deep in my heart. Created for a purpose knowing I've been carried, sustained, and rescued. 

So here we are, 2026. I wrestled with two photos and two ideas for the new year. “Cleansed” - because I am still completely in awe of the crimson red northern lights in Alabama over the white as snow cotton field that a friend and I found because we were fearful of the unknown car coming at us in the dark on the old dirt road. See the previous two posts. And “carried”, because of everything stated above. I could not shake the word carried. And as I continued to ponder on the word as well as Isaiah 46, a new image came to mind. Carried…as in over a threshold…the start of something new. Carried with joy, excitement, expectancy, and a willing trust. 

I googled the definition of threshold:

• A strip of wood, metal, or stone forming the bottom of a doorway and crossed in entering a house or room…
• The magnitude or intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction, phenomenon, result or condition to occur or be manifested. 

Listed under that were additional questions people ask. AI Overview answered the meaning of threshold in the Bible. It  symbolizes significant transitions, divine presence, protection and judgement, marking the boundary between the profane and sacred, the outside world and God’s house or one’s old life and new spiritual reality often requiring reverence, readiness, and obedience as seen in the passover blood or Jesus as the ultimate door.

He is the ultimate door. He is also the only one to bring us through it too. Our hearts need to be in His hands. It doesn’t mean the journey will be easy and He may not lead you where you think He’s taking you, but His love never fails. In a “Freedom" Bible study, the author shared these thoughts: “ Trust is earned, so until you have an understandings of a person’s character, it isn’t possible to trust him or her with something of value. In order to surrender our lives to God, we must believe that He is good and is worthy of our trust. For many of us, that is easier said than done…” Spend time with Him. Invite Him in. He will show you His goodness and give a peace that passes understanding (Ex 34:6-7, Ps 136:1, Phil 4:6-7). 

In 2026 surrender your heart completely to Jesus. Place it in His hands again and again. As humans we naturally pull back at times. Daily surrender again. You can trust Him. He will heal your heart, strengthen it, give rest, and carry you over a new threshold. There is also a promise of an eternal heavenly adventure too! Are there any guarantees as to what life on earth will look like? No, but I can guarantee He is the way the truth and life (John 14:6) and choosing to do life with Him is the best decision you’ll ever make. This life is never boring and is most definitely an adventure! We can’t even fathom what our heavenly life will look like but the Bible gives a few descriptive images (check them out) and it sounds amazing!! He’s preparing a place (John 14:1-2) and He continues to lead us there. Jump in His arms, let Him carry you, and intentionally trust Him in 2026. He's got you!!!! 

* I spent time in a "threshing floor" basement while finishing up these words. I had brought a cold cup of coffee, went upstairs to heat it up. A basket on the side of the microwave caught my attention. It had been given as a gift of appreciation to our clinic about a year ago. All the food and goodies were gone but what remained were a few hand written bundles of cards. I took a stack with me to the basement. Look at how beautiful. Ecc 3:11 and so many more verses that I've personally depended on through out the year were included. A little while later I locked up and got in my vehicle. The "WAY FM Power Verse" of the day was Ecc 3:11. You can't make this stuff up. His goodness and mercy really are with me and I know one day I will dwell in His house forever! (Psalms 23:6). He is with you too!!

"Beautiful"