Acts 14:21-22
After proclaiming the Message in Derbe and establishing a strong core of disciples, they retraced their steps to Lystra, then Iconium, and then Antioch, putting grit in the lives of the disciples, urging them to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to them that it wouldn’t be easy: “Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times.”
Hey Hope Family!
Well, it’s a new year—and with a new year usually comes a stereotypical message from your pastor about making it your “best year yet.” Maybe with a clever title that rhymes. Something like, “Whatever is wrong, God will fix in 2026!” Okay, maybe it’s not that clever—but hey, maybe there’s a place for that.
We all need motivation in one area or another, and if a new year on the calendar and a pep talk help you organize your life in a way that makes you a better person, then I say take whatever motivation you can get from wherever you can get it.
But what if you’re not heading into your “best year yet”? Would that make 2026 a failure?
Every year can’t be better than the last, can it? We’re all going to have difficult times. Sometimes those times are thrust upon us—like when a family member unexpectedly passes away. All of a sudden, the year is forever marked by loss.
Other times, those hard years are the result of poor decisions we’ve made. One bad decision after another can lead to brokenness and pain that feels hard to dig out of.
And maybe 2026 will be a difficult year for you not because something bad happened to you for no particular reason, but because the Enemy—who “goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”—caused unforeseen havoc. Or maybe taking a stand for righteousness leads to what Acts 14:22 calls “plenty of hard times.”
But the thing about the disciples is that they knew those hard times were coming. They took heart not in spite of them, but because of them. They remembered that Jesus told them:
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
So I guess this isn’t the stereotypical pep talk—but it’s worth thinking about.
I’ve been going to Celebrate Recovery for a few years now, and they end each meeting by praying this:
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right,
if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
I would encourage you to pray this over yourself as you embark on whatever is next—and don’t forget to remember that God has already overcome through the blood of Jesus.
If you are going through difficult times please reach out to someone and talk. Erica and I are always open to meeting up for coffee and prayer. No one has all the answers but we were not meant to do this life alone.
Also, the song Take Heart by Hillsong has always been and encouragement to me when going through hard times.
I love you all, and I’m so thankful that God placed us together.
Godspeed,
Dan
