Posted on: 8th January 2026

I don’t know about you but I am being bombarded by everyone’s ‘highlights of 2025’ and ‘goals for 2026’. The noise around this time of year can be deafening, but I feel like I need a month just to recover from the whirlwind of advent and then Christmas! Yes, I had some real highlights in 2025, but I also have had some pain, doubt and challenge. 

A new year often arrives wrapped in expectationBut what is this expectation about? Interestingly, expectation is also a central theme of Advent - the season of waiting for our coming King. As Christians, this reminds us that our hope is not meant to  shift from waiting for Jesus to working endlessly on a new version of ourselves.

And yet, January can feel overwhelming. There’s an unspoken pressure to radically change or reinvent ourselves simply because the calendar has turned.. Alongside the fresh expectations of the coming year, it can also be a time that feels heavy—because deep down we know how easily good intentions fade. In contrast to our inconsistency, the new year offers Christians  a comforting truth: while everything else may change, God does not.

Hebrews reminds us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Despite those around us seeking the ‘New Year, New me’, God doesn’t change or reinvent himself. His love is not reset by our failures and His faithfulness is not dependent on our consistency. When we begin the new year with the hurt and regrets from the last we are met by the same grace that carried us before. When plans change or prayers seem unanswered, God remains good and faithful.
This truth also reshapes how we view resolutions. Instead of striving for perfection, we can pursue faithfulness. Instead of relying solely on discipline, we can depend on grace. Spiritual growth is not about becoming someone God will finally love; it’s about walking more closely with the God who already does.

As this year begins, be encouraged. New year. Same God. And that is more than enough.