Bringing the Lessons Learned in 2025 with Me into 2026
- Taylor Paschal
- Jan 27
- 6 min read
As we begin to close out the first month of 2026 and take a step forward into the journey this year will bring, I want to take a moment to look back on 2025 and all that I learned last year. While it's not good to dwell on, or in, the past, it is good to take the lessons learned from the past into the present and future with you so you can grow, move forward, and stop repeating harmful or hindering cycles.
That being said, I want to share a few things I learned last year that we can take into 2026 with us to help keep us moving forward into God's will for our lives this year...
1) It is not my job to change anyone.
Trying to change someone is harmful to both you and the person on the receiving end of your efforts. Our job as believers is to share the love and Gospel of Jesus with others, not to change them. God is the One who does the changing within people, and even then, He won't force anything on someone without their own choosing that they want His help and guidance. That's the beauty of free will. When we try to change a person, we are stepping into a role that only God can fill, and that never ends well.
Rather than trying to change the person you love, surrender them to the Lord, and let Him do His job. Take a step back, remind that person that you love them, pray for them, and encourage them, rather than pointing out everything they do wrong or informing them of how they could've better handled a situation, making them constantly feel inadequate, frustrated, or unappreciated. Trust God to do what only He can do.
And consider this, sometimes the best way to inspire someone to make a change is by being an example in the way you live, and by showing them the love and compassion of Jesus. He may also be trying to do a work in you first.
2) Sometimes God just wants us to let go and trust Him.
We all have things we struggle to hand over to the Lord. We feel as if when we let it go out of our own hands, it won't get handled properly. We don't trust God to be able to handle or fix the situation. Now, I'm not judging becaue I've been there too, but how prideful! Do we really think that we'll be able to take care of a situation better than the Lord?
Even if we have good intentions, when we put our hands into the work God is trying to do, it can hinder that work from being done. Surrender to the Lord and trust that He, the all-knowing Creator of the Universe, knows what He is doing. He is faithful and good.
3) Isolation is sometimes necessary.
Although we shouldn't be consistently separated from others, there are times when it is necessary to be alone with the Lord. Jesus took time to be alone with the Father, and He is our example of how we should live. Silence the other voices and distractions of the world, go to your secret place, sit in the presence of the Holy Spirit, and seek the Lord. Don't neglect the quiet moments with the Father.
4) Waiting seasons are not punishment.
It can be easy to despise the waiting, and to spend the whole time focused on getting out of that season, but don't neglect what the Lord is trying to teach you and work in you during that time. Growth, preparation, and development happen in the waiting. God uses that time to grow your character and teach you to trust in Him.
Look at a seed. They stay under the soil, buried in the dark for a season while their roots are growing deep into the ground. And after watering, sunlight, and time, the seed begins to sprout above the surface. As the plant continues to grow, more watering, sunlight, and pruning must take place. Eventually, after the gardener has done all that work and as time has passed, the plant blooms into the most beautiful flower and begins to produce fruit. We are the seed, and God is the gardener.
And remember, this season isn't forever. There is a time for weeping and a time for dancing. A time for mourning and a time for rejoicing. This too shall pass, and you will come out stronger in your faith.
5) Be present in the present.
Anxiety lives in the past and the future. The Bible tells us to only worry about today. If you're always focused on the past or worrying about the future, you'll miss what God is trying to do now.
6) Gratitude is necessary for victory.
Gratitude and fear can't exist at the same time. Stop worrying about what you don't have, be thankful for what the Lord has blessed you with, and watch joy start to infiltrate your life and heart.
7) The condition of your mind and your mindset is so important.
Your mind a battlefield. This is where the enemy tries to take you out. If he can get you to have a defeated mindset or to believe lies about who you are and who God says you are, you will live defeated.
You have God-given power and authority over your thoughts. Use it to take captive every wrong thought and speak the Word of God to counteract the lies. It so important to keep your mind renewed with the Word of God. Be careful what you let into your gates.
8) The longer you entertain something that is not for you, the harder it becomes for you to let it go.
The longer you wait, the stronger the attachment grows. You'll begin to justify it and try to talk yourself out of what you know the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. Listen to the voice of the Lord, and be quick to obey. Delayed obedience is disobedience.
9) Don't fall in love with potential.
Talk is cheap. A tree is known by the fruit that it bears. Anyone can say everything right, but do their actions prove their words to be true?
It's not wrong to see potential in someone, but don't make important choices based on the chance or hope that they reach that potential. Make choices based on what their actions show you to be true.
10) Growth is uncomfortable.
Pruning is painful, but it is for the overall good and survival of the plant. It also helps the plant produce more fruit. When you were a growing child, you got growing pains. It's part of the process.
Things are moving, shifting, and the Lord is making space for the blessing by removing what was hindering your growth. You are the clay, and He is the potter. The molding and shaping can hurt, but remember, You're always in His hands.
Step out in faith and be obedient to the Lord.
11) If your fulfillment isn't found in the Lord, nothing will ever satisfy you.
Only the Lord can fill the void inside you, and as long as you try to fill it with other things or people, it will only grow larger and create more hurt. The love of another person will never fill that hole, and you'll never be able to love someone else properly without knowing and understanding the love of God first.
Ask yourself this question: If God never blessed you with anything else, would He still be enough?
12) The Lord prepares you before He blesses you.
If you prioritize something over the Lord, even if it's a good thing, it becomes an idol. Don't make the blessing from the Lord take the place of the Lord in your life.
Sometimes the Lord waits to bless you with something until you are prepared to receive it and be responsible with it. Think of some of the things the Lord has blessed you with and then consider, if He blessed you with it earlier in your life, would you have been able to handle it maturely and not mess it up?
13) Words have power.
Speak the Word of God over your life and your loved ones. Your thoughts influence your words which influence your beliefs which influence your actions which influence your life.
The Word of God is alive and powerful. Speak it over your life.
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