“Blessed is the man whom You discipline, Lord,

And whom You teach from Your Law”

-Psalm 94:12

2025 has been a heavy year emotionally and spiritually. I’ve wrestled with moments of doubt. I’ve experienced bouts of deep, painful loneliness that affect my attitude about my prolonged singleness and how isolating it is to try living as a faithful Christian while working and studying at a university. Life feels hard to navigate in this weird season.

As 2025 draws to a close, I admit it’s been too easy for me to dwell on what’s been extremely hard this year. Part of that comes with the quiet: busyness has a way of distracting me (and many of us, I think) from focusing on how we’re doing emotionally and spiritually, and with a break coming in after a very, very busy year, it makes sense that I’m now feeling the backlog of all my ignored feelings.

But as I’m processing, as I’m trying to dwell on the good, I’m reminded that the difficult circumstances and challenges we face in this life all work together for good. They are part of how the Lord disciplines us, how He refines us. So, I am learning to be grateful for what is hard.

I am thankful for loneliness. In my lonely moments, I am drawn to seek out Christ and His persistent, faithful presence. Community as Christians is a beautiful and necessary thing, but I am also learning in a very real way that Jesus is all that we need.

I am thankful for doubt. When I start to question, or when something comes up in my studies (which are full of worldly ideologies that tend to be anti-Christian or anti-God), those doubts drive me to seek out truth. I move out of days of doubt more strengthened in my convictions that Jesus is the only hope for the world.

I am thankful for singleness. Not a new expression of gratitude, as I’ve written on this topic a few years ago, but one I need to repeat, since our struggles and growth is not a smooth, linear process, but a bumpy cycle. Like loneliness, singleness pushes me back towards Christ as all-sufficient. Singleness also helps me fix my gaze on what ultimately matters in this world: making Jesus known. These years of singleness have also led me to where I am today, and I see the Lord’s hand in how He’s gifted me in my current calling to be a Light in higher education. I would not have made the same choices had I gotten my wish for a young marriage and motherhood.

I am thankful for the daily blessings. What an incredible gift it is to live in the United States of America. We have it so good in this nation, and our society sadly seems to forget that too easily. Anytime I’m tempted to be envious of another’s success or complain about my circumstances, I am increasingly reminded of my bounty of undeserved blessings. This includes necessities: I never have to worry about food, shelter, or clean water. I can treat myself to fancy coffee or a new book on occasion without really needing to think about it. I can work from just about anywhere when grading or writing papers and do not need to engage in hard physical labor for my needs. And then there’s the opportunities here in the U.S.. I’ve been reading stories of persecuted Christians from Voice of the Martyrs recently, and that’s been an incredibly convicting reminder of how blessed we are in this nation. I can study God’s Word whenever and freely worship Jesus without fear of repercussions. I have so many Brothers and Sisters in Christ around the world who do not have those same freedoms. What a gift the Lord has given me, to have a Bible of my own and to be able to follow Him fearlessly and openly.

I am thankful for the discipline of the Lord. Growing in Christ, being sanctified—it can be painful at times. It can be frustrating, both as I get annoyed with my repeated sin or sad at some unfulfilled longing in my life. And yet, in this season of emotional and spiritual struggle, I am thankful that the Lord is working in me and through me. He is transforming me more and more into a reflection of Him. He is redirecting my focus to what matters most: His Coming Kingdom. I am thankful that Jesus is working all things together for good.

Happy Thanksgiving, and may the Lord bless you this holiday season.