2025 has felt like both the longest and shortest year all at the same time, but it is nearing a close. At the end of every year, I like to look back and reflect on the word of the year that I started with in January and see where and how God has worked through the previous 12 months. See where He has woven in Truth, where He has shown His faithfulness, and identify the moments where God’s goodness shined through. But, December is also a time when I like to take a fresh look at the Christmas story, try to see it with new eyes and discover all the wonders that it holds, and what is fascinating to me is that every year, I see something new. This year, I find these two annual traditions converging and connecting in ways I didn’t anticipate and I want to share with you some of the lessons that I have learned.
My word of the year was TRUST and that word is exactly how I would describe this year. So many things have required me to to take a step out of what was known, comfortable, safe, and to trust that God would meet me where He asked me to go. As I was contemplating the major things I have learned throughout this year, I realized that everything can be condensed into this – learning to say “Yes”. Yes to God’s plans and purposes and not mine. Yes to His leading and guiding. Yes to stepping out of the boat on His word – especially when it doesn’t make sense. And as I looked again at the Christmas story, I realized that saying “Yes” is exactly what the whole story is about.
What comes to mind when we think of the Christmas story? Angelic visits? A teenage girl in a tiny village? A stable, a manger, or a group of shepherds? Magi? Probably. But I think it is easy to forget that the Christmas story started long before all of that. The Christmas story started with a “yes”. As God’s Spirit moved upon the face of the deep, before light had even been called into existence, before the earth was even formed, before man took his first breath. The story begins with God’s desire to make mankind in His image – knowing that they would break His heart, that sin would destroy the beauty of the world He created, and separate His children from Him. When God looked down through the halls of time and saw the brokenness of humanity and Jesus spoke the first “Yes”. “Yes, I will go. Yes, I will stand in their place. I will be the sacrifice to pay the penalty for their sin and restore the children to their Father.”
As Adam and Eve were sent from the Garden, the promise of the fulfillment of that “Yes” would ring through generations. A beacon of hope. That some day the Saviour and Redeemer would come to rescue them. Until one day, in a tiny village called Nazareth, God sent an angel to a young virgin named Mary to announce that it was time. Time for the beginning of a new story. And in that announcement was an invitation to join the God of all Creation in His “yes”.
God’s invitation to say “yes” comes in His own timing.
If you read my blog post last month, you will have a better understanding of what that means in my own life, but in the light of Jesus coming to earth, it is clear. Generations of people lived and died, holding on to the hope that the Messiah – the Saviour foretold – would come in their lifetime, but it wasn’t yet time. At the appointed time, The Word was made flesh to dwell among us – not when we wanted it, not when it was convenient, not when it followed the rules of “common sense”, but in God’s perfect time.
When God invites you to say “yes,” know that it will rarely be when you are expecting it, or when you feel ready. And it usually won’t look anything like you thought it would. In fact the timing might not make any earthly sense at all. But that’s when we have to remember that God sees what we cannot and we accept His invitation, not because we know what’s right but because we trust Him. Which leads me to the second lesson I have learned this year…
When you say “yes” to God, it will require Trust.
Trust is the foundation for saying “Yes”. I learned this in so many ways this year, and if I look back, it’s honestly been a journey I have been on for the last number of years. Each invitation to trust and say “yes” a little bigger than the last. Each one inviting me into a deeper relationship with God and growing my understanding of Who He is.
When God sent Gabriel to Mary, He invited her to say “yes” to something impossible – “a virgin shall conceive and have a son”. Is it any wonder she asked “how can this be?” But while she asked knowing the obstacles, her question did not hinder her response. Not knowing the “how” in all it’s entirety did not stop Mary from saying “yes”. The angel didn’t rebuff her for her question, but his answer in its simplest form was “God’s got this.” And that was enough. Mary trusted God to take care of the details, and said “yes”.
I think too often, we allow our inability to understand the “how” to get in the way of trust and we end up missing out on beautiful opportunities that God planned for us. God will always call you to do something that will be bigger than you. Something that you can’t do on your own. Something that will require you to lean on a wisdom and strength that is greater than yours. That will require you to surrender your own will and your own way and step out of the boat into the storm and trust Him to set solid ground beneath your feet.
When you say “yes” to God, be prepared to be called out of your comfort zone.
If we aren’t moving forward, we aren’t growing. I have been stretched in ways that I never dreamed possible this year, but with that stretching has come growth that I couldn’t have achieved any other way. A seed doesn’t grow until it breaks open. I am learning that in order to grow and fulfill the purpose that God has for my life, I have to give up my “right” to be comfortable. In fact, if I find myself getting comfortable, there’s a good chance that either I am missing an invitation God has issued or He’s getting ready to launch me into something new.
Mary was invited to say “yes” to the most amazing privilege – to carry the Son of God in her womb, to hold Him in her arms, to love and teach and raise Him. But that invitation meant that all she her hopes and dreams, her relationships, her status – everything – would change. Nothing would be the same for her from that moment forward. But she said “yes” anyway.
Joseph was invited to say “yes” to being the earthly father to the Son of God. An incredible, but no doubt daunting prospect. To do so would mean that he would have to abandon all the plans he had made for the future. It would mean his reputation and his position in the community would come under scrutiny. It would mean stepping into something without precedent. Nothing would be as he had hoped. But he said “yes” anyway.
The entirety of the Christmas story is full of unexpected events, twists, turns, and disruptions. When God invites us to walk with Him, we should be prepared to leave the known behind, be ready for the disruption of our plans, because we follow in the footsteps of the God of the impossible. And if we hold to the knowledge that AMAZING things come from holy disruption, then we will keep our eyes open for what God is about to do.
When you say “yes” to God, He makes a way for you and provides for your needs.
“Where the Lord calls, He provides.” I learned this in a big way this year. Time after time, I was asked to take a step into uncertainty, my thoughts clouded with impossibilities, but my heart settled on trusting God to meet my needs. And EVERY TIME, He came through in greater ways than I imagined. That experience has made the Christmas story hit differently this year as I’ve seen God’s provision woven throughout every word.
When Mary said “yes” to God, and the Holy Spirit implanted Emmanuel in her womb, her entire world turned upside down. She was betrothed (legally married), but still living in her parents home, as Joseph had yet to take her home as his wife. She experienced something that those close to her couldn’t even begin to understand. She was young, inexperienced, and in so many ways alone. Mary needed someone to talk to. So, God gave her Elizabeth.
From Scripture we glean that it’s not long after the angel’s announcement that Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth – the one person in the whole world that might understand what she needed to share. And if Mary was worried about how to even bring up her news, God wiped away her concerns with the first words of greeting from Elizabeth’s lips. For those first 3 months – the most delicate and critical time in pregnancy, when everything in a woman’s body is changing and it’s emotional and confusing – Mary was ensconced in a household of faith, where she was supported and loved and given time to process all that had happened to her with people who would believe her. What amazing grace is that!!!
Then let’s look at Joseph. I know that so often we focus in on Mary’s “yes”, but I am always so blown away by the beauty of Joseph’s “yes” and God’s plan in all of it. From Scripture, we can gather that Mary was a woman of character and faith – no doubt qualities that attracted Joseph to her. How his heart must have broken when he discovered she was pregnant. But here is where we discover Joseph’s character and his humility. In his pain and disappointment, he could have lashed out or sought revenge, but he didn’t.
Joseph was fully within his rights to back away and divorce Mary. No one would have blamed him if he had done so and would probably even have applauded him for it. But Joseph was so committed to doing what was right before God, that at one word from Him, he abandoned his own plan and came alongside to support and protect Mary. It overwhelms me to think about how much the Lord cared to provide Mary such a kind and compassionate husband to partner with and support her, especially in the beginning when everything would have been so new and scary.
There are so many other ways that we can see God’s hand of provision when we read this story, but the important thing to remember is this – It doesn’t always come with the packaging we expect, or in the ways we would have chosen, but God ALWAYS faithfully provides when we say “yes”.
Never underestimate the impact of your “yes”.
This is a lesson that I am still struggling to learn because I tend to think that my “yes” isn’t all that important or impactful. The Lord has worked at opening my eyes this year and I am beginning to see the light on this one. The fact is that none of us will ever know what the full impact of our “yes” to God has been until eternity. However, I am learning – God only needs obedience in a small “yes” to change the world. We’ve talked about Mary’s “yes” and Joseph’s too. Many of us know all the major players in this story well, but this year I realized that there is one person that usually gets overlooked.
“No room for them in the inn” – A phrase that traditionally conjures images of a travel weary Joseph arriving in Bethlehem with Mary in the throes of labour, as they are turned away by grumpy innkeepers before finding shelter in a barn. I’ll save the historical and Scriptural inaccuracies of that picture for another time, but suffice it to say that over the years I’ve been so focused on the “no room” part that I missed God’s provision and the power of a small “yes” entirely.
Jesus’ birth location was not a mistake. God didn’t forget some details in planning His Son’s arrival – He provided exactly what was needed, exactly when it was needed. There may not have been space in the guest room or the regular places you might expect the King of kings to be born, but somebody was invited to say “yes” and they made space! Somebody that Scripture does not name, someone invisible, in the background, was the one who said “Yes, you can stay here. We will make room for you,” and provided a place for the Son of God to enter the world in human flesh. And because of that small, seemingly insignificant “yes,” Jesus was born exactly where He was supposed to be – in the lowliest place we would expect making Him accessible to all. This person’s “yes,” one that many might view as insufficient – much like the five loaves and two fish – was more than enough in God’s eyes. I don’t know about you, but that leaves me speechless.
You may think your “yes” is unimportant, meager, insignificant, or invisible, but God sees it and He honours it. Nothing is ever lost or wasted when we give it to God. Your little in the hands of a Mighty God can turn the world upside down.
This year has been full of up and downs and turnarounds, breaking and healing, but through it all God has taught me so much. I have grown in my faith and in trust and taken steps that I wouldn’t have planned for myself. And Every. Single. Time. God has completely overwhelmed me. I am waiting with anticipation for what He has planned for 2026, but I want to leave you with this thought before I go. Just say “yes”!
Maybe you are reading these words and you are struggling. Maybe you have heard the Holy Spirit whispering to your heart, inviting you to let Him in and make you a part of His family, but you’re holding back. Maybe there is something that God has put on your heart or is calling you to do that you have been hesitating to step into, or allowing fear to keep you bound. Maybe you said “yes” and now you are in the throes of battle and discouragement is following you around like a cloud.
If any of those things resonate, I encourage you – take your honest questions to your Father. He will meet you where you are. He will bring you peace. He will give you strength for the battle and provision for your journey. And if you will surrender your own way and choose to trust, if you choose to say “yes,” and keep saying “yes” even when things get rough, I promise you, Friend, God will fill you with abundance that you never could have dreamed of.
Today is the day. Just say “yes”! Your life will never be the same again.
Until next time, see you in 2026.
Of Shattered Things 