HDWN? How Can I Walk with Jesus in the New Year?

Long time, no see!

Welcome back to He Did What Now?! I’m so excited to pick this blog back up during 2025! Before we jump back into this blog, I wanted to do a little bit of housekeeping.

You may have noticed that around August/September, I stopped posting weekly. In fact, I stopped posting at all. Rest assured, this wasn’t due to a lack of passion or purpose. In September, I started a new, full-time job in Nashville, TN. This required me to pack my bags and move out on my own for the first time. It was a whirlwind - experiencing the learning curve of a new job and also settling into a new home and new routine. Just when things had started to settle down, I started to experience really strange health issues. For practically the entire month of December, my life was turned upside down as I had over 9 doctors appointments, with even more scheduled for the future. I still don’t have any answers, but I have faith that in His time, everything will work for the good. All this being said, although I tried to write, I struggled to feel good about the pieces I was working on. The goal of this blog is to explore the Bible in a meaningful way, connecting the most ancient of times to the modern world today through God and His holy Word. Because I’ve been “earning my sea legs,” the past few months, I haven’t been able to dive as deeply into my writing as I used to. I feel that in order to honor God, it’s my duty to make sure that my work is well written, respectfully thought out, and is of the best quality I can offer. I’ve gotten a little better at balancing life, I feel ready to start exploring the Bible again and take the time to produce quality pieces that not only honor the Lord, but allow me to connect with readers in a faithful way.

In 2025, HDWN? will operate just a little differently! Instead of posting pieces weekly, I’ll be uploading blogs once, maybe twice, a month. One day, I would love to resume posting weekly again, but until then I’ll focus on taking my sweet time in order to ensure you all are reading good quality material. This means posts will more than likely be longer, as I’ll have more time to brainstorm, research, write, and edit.

Now that this is all out of the way, let’s get into what He did!

The beginning of a new year can be flooded with all kinds of emotions and circumstances. Maybe, you feel excited to start a new chapter filled with new opportunities. Maybe, you feel motivated by your list of resolutions. Or maybe, you feel nervous because this new year feels more daunting and uncertain than ever.

All of these feelings are to be expected during the beginning of a new year. Sometimes, this range of feelings can be hard to understand or handle. At the end of 2024, I became frustrated when I tried to come up with a list of “resolutions.” I sat staring at this ever-growing list of goals - dieting/weight goals, money goals, career goals, hobby goals, exercising goals - feeling less and less hopeful that I would achieve anything as the list grew longer and longer. At this moment, it hit me that only one goal really mattered:

How can I walk with and act like Jesus in 2025?

Through this one goal, I’ve already started to see changes in my everyday life. Turns out that inviting Jesus into even the smallest part of your life, can have dramatic effects on not only your year, but your soul as well.

This month, we’re going to dive into 3 different ways to invite Jesus into our goals for 2025 and how we can walk and live more like Him through this year.

2025 Piggy Bank Goals

I’m sure many of us understand the importance of saving money, especially with the cost of living dramatically rising over the past few years. I’m sure many of you, like myself, had a goal to save a certain amount of money, whether it be for a new car, to build a home, or just to have a sizable nest egg. The heart of God yearns to belong in every aspect of our lives, including our bank accounts. One way we can choose to honor God through our finances is by tithing.

What is tithing you ask? In Hebrew, “tithe” actually means “tenth.” Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we see people honoring God by giving a tenth of their earnings or possessions back to the One that gave it to them in the first place. Abraham gives the king/priest Melchizedek a tenth of the war spoils he earned when rescuing Lot. Moses instructs the Israelites to give a tenth of their crops, fruit, and every tenth animal to the Lord. 

Why do we tithe? There are a number of reasons. For instance, tithing your first 10% (your “first fruits”) is a way to show God that He is the most important thing in your life, before money. By tithing, we recognize that we are mere stewards of what God gives us. Even further, we tithe because the Lord tells us to. In Micah, we read this:

Now, here’s what’s interesting about this verse… this is the only time in the Bible that God tells us to test Him. Micah writes this as the Hebrew people are experiencing an especially difficult time - they’ve just returned from exile and are in the middle of a drought and economic crisis. I’m sure many of them were experiencing financial fear. How can you give away a tenth when you’re already trying your hardest to stretch the pennies you have?

From this verse though, God tells us that by putting Him first, the “floodgates of Heaven” will open. Now, I think it’s important to note that tithing won’t make us rich… I don’t think that’s what God is saying here. Instead, what I see here is a promise that if we put God first, He will provide in ways that we can’t even comprehend. Tithing isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme - that doesn’t match-up with the character of God. It is, though, a way to practice financial responsibility, show reverence to God and His plans, and prioritize God over our possessions or wealth.

2025 Mirror Goals

I’m sure after Thanksgiving and Christmas, many of us looked in the mirror and thought, “Okay, maybe I’ll get a gym membership in 2025.” I can almost guarantee that many of us either wrote down a number of pounds we wanted to gain/lose or thought of a body image we wanted to achieve. 

Or maybe, it’s not a weight or diet struggle. Maybe, you look in the mirror, and you see a face and body that, no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to recognize. Maybe, you see a body that has been damaged or used. Maybe, you see a person who could never live up to the standards they’ve set for themselves. Maybe, you see a face or figure that you can’t stand to look at.

While it’s very important to prioritize a healthy body, it’s unhealthy for body appearance to become an obsession. Fortunately for us, God has a lot to say through His word about our physical bodies/appearances.

Our bodies are so much more than we often give them credit for.

Now, to give context, this verse is talking about sexual immorality, but it’s still a verse/lesson that we can apply to our lives in multiple ways. I can only imagine the vigor, the passion that Paul wrote these words with… “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?” Sometimes, when I read the Old Testament, I grow a bit… jealous. What do you mean God spoke to Moses directly through the burning bush? Or that Abraham also was visited by God multiple times before Sarah gave birth to Isaac? Or that Jacob actually wrestled with God? Sometimes, I wish God would just sit with me and speak to me directly like that. Then I remember, when I enter heaven’s gates and ask Moses, Abraham, Jacob, “What was it like to be in the presence of God?” they will turn to me and ask, “What was it like to have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you?”

When presented with this fact, that when we accept Christ into our lives the Holy Spirit begins to dwell in us, it should make us look at our bodies differently. Instead of focusing on how our bodies appear, we should be grateful for what our bodies allow us to do. God placed you in your specific body, in this specific time, for the advancement of His kingdom. No physicality can stop us from praising God, praying, showing those around us kindness and love, consuming the Word, or reaching out a hand to those in need. While, yes, we should eat good and healthy foods, get proper exercise, and abstain from acts that harm our bodies, it’s important to note that our flesh will fade… our spirits will not. 

So when you begin to put pressure on your body or on your appearance, and especially when you begin to talk negatively of your body and yourself, remember the temple that your body is and Who dwells in it. We should treat our bodies with respect, because we were made in the image of God, by a Creator that does not make mistakes. In the end, what matters is that we respected and followed the will of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us!

2025 Scrolling Goals

At the time I’m writing this, I can’t tell you what on God’s green earth is happening with Tik Tok. Who knows if it will be banned or how long exactly we’ll have access to the platform. Regardless, there will always be some app that keeps us zoned in on our phones, whether that be Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, or whatever social media is developed next. 

I’ll be the first to admit that my screen time is devastating. In fact, for a long time, I would literally wake up - I mean literally open my eyes - and reach over for my phone to get a dopamine hit from Tik Tok or Instagram. This would affect my entire day; after seeing my screen first thing in the morning, I would want to stay on my phone all day. It was a cycle that kept me locked into my phone locked out of the present.

Even more than this, constant access to social media would often inspire extreme levels of anxiety - FOMO if you will. After seeing a stream of influencers with the latest and greatest products, or watching as content creators live out the most idyllic lives, I would often experience a sense of sadness, a pang of jealousy, or a lack of hope for the future. Should I be making more money? Should I be wearing what they’re wearing? Should I buy the product they’re using? Why can’t I be an influencer and live that life? Why do my photos or videos not go viral?

Feelings of anxiety are addressed throughout the Bible, especially in the Gospels and the New Testament. In Matthew Chapter 6 verses 25-34, we get the “Cure for Anxiety.” In this passage, Jesus is talking about how people worry so much about their diets, their clothing, and their lives. Yet, for worry there is no purpose.

When I read these verses, I was hit with a pretty strong conviction… What was I seeking first? From the start of my day, I was seeking my phone - seeking notifications that I felt validated me, seeking popularity through apps, seeking attention through photos or videos, seeking escape through scrolling. That search was FRUITLESS. That search left me so unsatisfied that I couldn’t stop myself from scrolling all day, trying to find some tiny glimpse of belonging.

But here, Jesus plainly says, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and these things will be added to you.” Yet, here I was seeking everything BUT God and then asking, “Well, God, where are you?” This conviction spurred change - as conviction should! Every morning, I had established a routine of watching a YouTube video, Tik Tok, or podcast while getting ready. I switched out my normal videos for The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble (She’s awesome by the way!). The Bible Recap is a daily Bible reading plan that you can accomplish through reading or listening to your Bible. Every morning, before I allow myself to get on social media/my phone, I listen to a few chapters of the Bible, then watch the accompanying Bible Recap video. 

Here’s what I’ve noticed: When I consume social media first thing in the morning, I want to keep consuming social media all day. When I consume the Word first thing in the morning, I want the Word all day. When I consume social media first thing in the morning, I think about all of the things I don’t have or all the things I want to be. When I consume the Word first thing in the morning, I think about how grateful I am for my relationship with Christ and about how I want to be more like Him. 

Inviting God into the beginning of our day affects our entire day. It turns our anxiety into comfort. It turns our worry into thanksgiving. It turns our gaze on greater things. That sounds like a life I want to live! If we seek God before anything else, He. Will. Provide. Every. Time. 

In conclusion,

2025 can be all that we dream of. It can be a year of fulfillment, of joy, of living to honor the Lord. By keeping Him at the forefront of our mind in all that we do, we can experience a closer walk with the Lord - ugh, what could be sweeter than that?

As we continue through this new year, remember - all fall short of the glory of God. That’s why Jesus died on the cross for our sins, to redeem us through His love and sacrifice. So this year, mistakes will be made, battles will be fought, and life will happen. But, I hope that through some of these goals and habits, you find peace in knowing that through it all, God is with us in every aspect.

What are some goals you have for the new year? What ways have you seen God in this new year so far? What would you like to read about in February? Drop me a line and let me know! Thanks for reading!