Still Carrying Last Year’s Weight? It's Time to Close the Book on 2025!

Before we step into a brand new year, let's slow down for just a moment today. Because, friend, you can't build a peaceful 2026 on top of the weight. You never laid down from 2025. And I know you feel that most of us do.We've rushed forward while our heart is still back there carrying some heavy weight. So before you step into what's next, let's gently close that chapter behind you. Not with shame, not with pressure, but with grace.A new year doesn't really start when the calendar flips. It starts when your heart finally releases what it's been holding. Let's talk about that on today's show. Hey, friend. Ralph Estepp Jr. Here.Welcome to the Financially Confident Christian, where we learn how to walk through life and walk through money with wisdom, with peace, and with a heart anchored in God's truth.My mission is simple, to help you break that cycle of financial shame, build steady habits rooted in faith, and become the kind of believer who handles money with clarity, with confidence, and with spiritual purpose. If this is your first time, welcome to us. Welcome home. And if you're returning, I'm grateful you came back.Yesterday we talked about starting fresh, but today we're going to do something just as important. We're looking back. I want to look back with honesty, with gratitude, and with compassion for ourselves. Because reflection isn't punishment.Reflection is how we actually heal. A listener wrote me and said, ralph, I feel like I'm dragging last year's weight into this new year.How do I actually close the books on 2025 so I can step into 2026 with peace? And I'll be honest with you, that question touched me because I know that feeling. I've lived it. I bet you've lived it, too.Most people don't feel stuck because they lack motivation. They feel stuck because they're carrying something that never got resolved.You can't really run freely when something is still wrapped around your heart. And here's the tension. You're trying to move forward, but your mind keeps drifting backward.Those missed goals, those financial mistakes, those conversations you wish went differently, the opportunities that passed on and the unexpected hits that took the wind out of you. And instead of letting those moments become lessons, you've let them become weight. Friend, I want you to hear this. Reflection helps you heal.Dwelling is going to keep you stuck. And God never called you to drag yesterday's pain into tomorrow's promise.Studies show that people who take time to review a year really look at it with intention. Step into the Next year with less stress, more focus, more confidence, better money habits, and greater emotional peace.You might be saying, why, Ralph? Because your brain needs closure, your soul needs release, and your finances need clarity.And friend, you can't carry everything and still move freely. Something has to come off your shoulders.For over three decades, I've walked families through this very moment, this year end reflection that we're talking about today. And the pattern is almost always the same.People who slow down long enough to close the old chapter are the people who step into the new year lighter. They step into it freer and. And more spiritually grounded.God speaks in that reflection, he heals in that reflection, and he restores in that reflection. But it's only going to work if we give him room.A woman in our community told me recently, ralph, I kept repeating the same patterns because I never paused long enough to understand why. So what did she do? She blocked one hour, just one.She wrote down her wins, she wrote down her challenges, her regrets, she wrote down her lessons, and she wrote down her blessings. And maybe she should have started with those. But she prayed over them. She released what was heavy, she thanked God for what was good.And she told me later, she said, ralph, it was like a weight finally came off of me. Friend, that wasn't imagination. That was release. And that release creates room for renewal. So how do you do that?How do you actually close the book on 2025 in a way that brings peace, not pressure? Let me walk you through it. First thing, celebrate what God carried you through. Start by looking for the good, not the perfect, the good.Think about the places where God showed up quietly behind the scenes in ways you didn't even recognize at the time he was that week. You weren't sure how that bill would get paid. And then a refund, a side job, or some unexpected favor appeared.Or maybe the morning you woke up more exhausted than hopeful and God still gave you enough strength to take the next step. Or maybe was that appointment you were nervous about that somehow went smoother than you expected?Or maybe for you is that month you thought you'd fall behind, but you didn't. These moments don't always feel miraculous when they're happening. Sometimes they look ordinary, but they were God carrying you.Gratitude doesn't erase the hard things. I wish it could, but it lets your heart see clearly and clarity brings peace.Second thing I'm going to encourage you to do, identify the lessons, not the labels. Your mistakes are not who you are. I want you to hear that. They are where you're Learning.We all have those months that we wish you could edit, that we could rewind or just completely redo. Maybe you overspent during a stressful week. Maybe you ignored a growing problem because you felt overwhelmed.Or maybe you made a decision too quickly or avoided one for too long. Those moments don't need to define you, but they do need to teach you. God isn't standing over you with a marker, writing failure, undisciplined, bad.With money on your soul. No, he's not doing that. He's growing you through those places. Ask yourself gently, what was the moment trying to teach me?Not what does this say about me? So many times we do that. But ask yourself, what was the moment trying to teach me? Those lessons will shape you. Labels are going to shame you.Don't put lessons, don't put labels on it. The lesson and it's time to release the regrets you were never meant to carry. Regret is heavy. Regret.Regret takes an emotional space meant for God's peace. Truth is, some of us have been carrying regrets like that. They become part of our identity. Here's some great examples.The credit card you maxed out years ago that still makes your stomach flip. You can still remember that like it was yesterday. Maybe it was that opportunity you walked past because fear felt bigger than faith.It was a job you stayed in too long or left too soon. Or that habit you broke and then rebuild again when life got hard. These regrets cling to your heart and they whisper lies. You missed your chance.You messed it up forever. You're never going to get it right. But friend, hear me on this. You can't carry regret and freedom at the same time. God can hold what you can't.He can redeem what you regret. Let him. And finally choose what comes into your 2026. Not everything from last year gets to travel with you. Some things, yes, deserve to come forward.Your growth, your wisdom, your healing. The habits you fought hard to build. But some things need to stay behind. Things like shame and regret.Patterns that drain your peace, expectations God never asked you to carry. Imagine packing a suitcase for a long trip. You don't load it with broken things, do you?You don't load it with heavy things or things you don't need any longer. You choose carefully what's worthy of the journey ahead. Ask God this, Lord, what do you want me to leave behind?And what do you want me to carry forward? That one question can change your entire year. Let's get to our Bible verse today comes to us From Isaiah, chapter 43, verses 18 and 19.Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing. Friend, listen. God is not asking you to fix your past.He's inviting you to release it so he can lead you into something new. Let's pray together. Lord, thank you for your grace over this past year. Help me release that has been heavy in my life.Help me to learn what needs to be learned. Help me to carry forward what is good and true. Give me peace, give me clarity and give me confidence as I step into this new season.And I ask this in confidence in Jesus name, Amen. Okay, here's your action step for today. I want you to just take a moment today and I want you to write down three regrets from 2025.Once you write those down, I want you to slowly, intentionally draw a line right through them. Not to pretend they didn't happen, but to release them into the hands of God. He can do this. Let that pen be your symbol of surrender.And a member of our community said this recently, said Ralph, I joined because I needed a place that felt safe enough to grow again. Not pressure, just people who care. The habits keep me steady, the encouragement keeps me hopeful. And the accountability is always kind, never heavy.And the fact that it's free, that still surprises me. Ralph Friend, you don't have to grow alone. Want to encourage you to come join our community.You can get to it by going to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join again. That's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join. Friend, let me tell you something right now. God already forgave what you're still holding on to.Let the past be the past. Let today begin with grace. Let tomorrow rise with peace. Let's walk into 2026 lighter and freer and more confident in God's provision.Be that financially confident Christian that I know you can be. You can do this. Stay financially savvy. God bless you and you have a great day today.