2025 Felt Like 2456 Reel St

I went home for Christmas this year, which was a breath of fresh air.

Being able to binge my shows and eat home-cooked meals touched my soul in a certain way that was the refresh my heart needed.

At the end of my trip, on my way home, back to Virginia (which I believe is a real-life simulation, but that's another story), I made a slight detour.

After leaving the post office, I made a few left turns, then a couple of right turns, and found myself sitting smack dab in the middle of Reel Street.

(A location that, had my parents known, would have resulted in them escorting me out of the state of Pennsylvania.)

I drove past a house standing alone, with the houses on either side completely gone or on the verge of falling down.

Instead of seeing a dilapidated house, I saw a flood of memories, both good and bad, playing out before me.

I saw the foundation that was poured into my DNA by walks to church or the library that were anything but short, teaching the lesson of what you start, you must finish.

I saw the framework where I encountered the destruction of sin and what was often believed to be best-laid plans and the devastation left in its wake.

The doors that shielded my siblings and me from the unpredictable behaviors and words flung out of anger between the neighbors at any given time.

I learned to be aware of my surroundings because the atmosphere could shift at any moment, which could land you in a world drastically different from the one in which you were once standing.

Where the security of deadbolts created a barrier from those whose paths did not align with our beliefs, values, and morals.

2025 felt like 2456 Reel St in a variety of ways.

It felt like people plagued by greed, destroying your home in search of sustenance and leaving what wasn't needed with frightened and lingering doubts of safety remaining.

It felt like street fights at 1 am with all chaos descending in a quick moment, disrupting the stillness of the quiet summer nights.

It felt like police sirens at every turn and pit bulls being unleashed on those who violate boundaries and unspoken morals.

2025 tested the limits and depths of grief as my parents and friends said final goodbyes to family members and loved ones.

2025 tested the boundaries of morals and ethics once instilled when the limits of my obedience to God stretched to what I thought was a never-ending limit.

2025 created space for a reckoning of my faith, purpose, and own plans for my life. One that occurred through tantrums and endless moaning and groaning in my quiet time with the Lord and the safety of confidantes.

(A reckoning which I lost, but it became a sweet, sweet surrender of wills.)

2025 taught more lessons than I ever felt were required.

It left nothing yet simultaneously gave everything.

There is one thing that 2025 did not take or dominate, although it tried at every twist and turn, my belief that God is good.

Even in the moments of chaos, confusion, and utter foolishness that 2025 presented, it never came close to erasing the truth that God has already won every battle, defeated every enemy, and provided all that was needed and more.

So even though 2025 felt like 2456 Reel Street, one truth that has remained from then to now is that my God is sovereign!

2026, I hope that you were anxiously watching and waiting to be ushered in. Prayerfully, you bring calm, peace, and moments of unprecedented joy!!

Regardless of whether you set us off on a grand adventure or follow in the footsteps of the year before you, I'm grateful that God is still victorious in my life and every other believer!