A Prayer of Trust and Surrender

God, thank You for people and for the unexpected part they played in my life this year. Thank You for using that reunion to bring back memories I needed, stories I needed to tell, and pieces of myself I needed to remember.

Thank You for simply being you—even though you probably have no idea what your little “hey” started. 

One person unexpectedly reappeared after all these years, and so much followed.

He reminded me of the shelter.

The shelter reminded me of my stories.

The stories reminded me of my skills.

And the skills reminded me of myself.

Those memories became Stars in the Sky. They helped me remember the person I was when I worked with those children—the patience, connection, instincts, love, and confidence that were still inside me even when I had stopped trusting them.

And now I am seeing those parts of myself show up again with the children I work with today. I am recognizing my professional strengths. I am thinking differently about my future. I am learning that I do not have to figure everything out or control every outcome.

Maybe that is one of the biggest lessons of my 2026 Year of YES:

TRUST.

Not trust that everything will happen exactly the way I want.

Not trust that one certain person has to remain part of the story.

But trust God enough that I do not have to know the ending.

Lord, I don’t need to know the ending in order to trust You with the story.

Thank You for crossing and splitting seas for me. Thank You for the people, memories, unexpected encounters, and little moments You have used along the way. Thank You for helping me remember who I am.

I surrender what comes next. I surrender the people I care about. I surrender my career, my future, my book, my questions, and the things I cannot control.

Help me keep saying YES—one step at a time.

Thank You, God.

And thank you for being an unexpected part of a year that changed so much for me.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.