Happy New Year to everyone reading this. I know for a lot of us New Year signifies the end of one and the beginning of another. It involves introspecting and reflecting on the year that has just gone by and starting the new year with a clean slate. The key here for me was to understand what it meant for me.

When I was in my twenties, the new year meant partying, celebrating, yeah, maybe thinking and planning a bit – new year resolutions, etc, etc. I only realised this year that the meaning has transformed over the years of my life and looks completely different. The question I ask myself now is, what does it mean now?

On the 31st of December, 2025, as I was praying and reflecting on the year that had gone by, I revisited the previous journals I had written over the past few years and the promises I had made to myself. It’s hilarious but not surprising that most of them were either material or had to do with ambitions. I am sure most of us will relate to it.

It was different this year. I realised that the success of a year is not determined by the material or egoistic successes you have had in the year, but for me, what really mattered was having lived each day of my life as I promised to my father in heaven.

So, I asked myself, knowing in my heart that I might have slipped quite a few times if I had lived my life in obedience to my Abba. It is amazing when the spirit of god fills us up, our perspective of the same life changes. I realised that I am a sinner and may have sinned a lot of times, but I was guided by the holy spirit to repent in my own words, and I was forgiven. My Abba, who is faithful, loving and merciful, had forgiven me, and I realised that my biggest success in 2025 was something not visible to the outside world. It was not worldly – it was my dedicated and intentional prayer life – a gift from my father. Guided by Yeshua and the Holy Spirit, I was able to pursue him and his love. I had opened up my life to my father and constantly prayed for his will to be done. The Joy and the happiness from it surpassed any joy the material things could have given me. I had lost my executive position, I did not achieve the financial goals I had, and my life is tracking far behind compared to the detailed life plan I had created at the beginning of the year, but my inner peace and joy and happiness in my Abba had increased. My life gained more meaning. I was able to put a stake in the ground and decide that I have surrendered my life to the one who gave it to me. It is decided! It is one of the magical mysteries that when you see and feel it, you cannot unsee it. I knew the word surrender, but I got to feel it for the first time in my life. Total surrender. Nothing brings more joy to me than knowing that he has called me, he is working on me, he is protecting me and that he will send me for his kingdom. My Abba, my saviour & my friend is with me. The opportunities I got this year to see my Abba’s glory and to understand the Almighty have been outstanding. More about that later.

As I start this year, my prayer to my Abba is that I can share this experience as best as I can with people in love. This is an experience that cannot be read about or heard about; it is something to feel and experience because when the spirit of god stirs up your heart and puts you on the green pastures, nothing is impossible. We have nothing if we don’t have the spirit of God, and by “have” I mean – if we have not surrendered ourselves to him.

I am not fearful of waiting; I don’t need any explanations of his mysterious ways of working through me. I am ready for the continuity and the ongoing transformation, and eager for what Abba wants to show me. I just pray I can hear him and be obedient without questioning. Hence, the message for me was, the new year is not and end of one and the start of another. It is an opportunity, it is continuity, and it is life – the life that is dedicated to Abba, and that came from him.

Until next time..

Urmi