“You don’t step well into the future by rushing past the ending—you step forward wisely by letting God finish what He started in you.” - Brian Turner

As a year comes to an end, many of us find ourselves standing in a quiet, in-between space.

It’s the space between what has been and what is coming.
Between gratitude and regret.
Between relief that the year is ending and uncertainty about what the next one will hold.

In that space, questions surface—not loud questions, but honest ones.

Did I finish this year well?
Did I grow… or did I just survive?
Did I truly obey God—or stay busy enough to avoid listening too closely?

Some of us are ending this year thankful. Others are ending it tired. Some relieved. Some disappointed. Some carrying grief. Some carrying hope. Many carrying a mixture of all of it.

Endings have a way of telling the truth. They reveal what we built, what we avoided, what we trusted, what we feared—what we finished, and what we left undone.

Scripture does not romanticize endings, but it does sanctify them.

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride” (Ecclesiastes 7:8).

That verse reminds us that how something ends matters—not just because a chapter closes, but because our posture is revealed.

Why Finishing Matters in the Kingdom of God

We talk a lot about starting strong in January. Scripture, however, speaks just as clearly about finishing well.

Beginnings are exciting. Endings are revealing.

Anyone can start with enthusiasm. Finishing requires faithfulness.

Near the end of his life, the apostle Paul wrote:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Notice what Paul does not say. He does not claim perfection, ease, or complete fulfillment. He speaks instead of perseverance, integrity, and long obedience.

You don’t step well into the future by ignoring the past.
You step forward wisely by interpreting it—with God.

Scripture tells us that wisdom grows not from speed, but from reflection.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Reflection is not self-condemnation. It is discernment.

God Is Faithful at the End of Things

One of the quiet dangers at the end of a year is rushing into the next one without allowing God to finish His work in the current season.

When we do that, we carry unfinished lessons forward.
We repeat patterns.
We recycle pain.
We rename old struggles rather than surrender them.

God is not only the God of beginnings.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13).

And because God finishes what He starts, we are invited to trust Him with what feels incomplete.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6).

This year—every part of it—was not random. Even the confusing parts. Even the painful ones. God is faithful at the end of things because He is forming us for what comes next.

Isaiah reminds us that forgetting the former things does not mean denying them—it means releasing them into God’s hands so we can walk faithfully forward (Isaiah 43:18–19).

The Spiritual Work of Remembering

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly calls His people to remember before they move forward.

Before Israel entered the Promised Land, Moses instructed them to remember the wilderness—not as punishment, but as formation (Deuteronomy 8:2).

Unexamined journeys produce unformed people.

If we rush into a new year without discerning what God has been shaping in us, we may arrive in new places with old postures.

Finishing well is not about perfection.
It is about obedience sustained over time.

Paul measured his life not by comfort or recognition, but by faithfulness to completion (Acts 20:24).

When the End of a Year Feels Heavy

For many, the end of a year brings quiet emotion rather than celebration.

Some feel proud of their growth. Others feel disappointed in themselves. Some feel relief. Others feel grief that the year did not turn out the way they prayed.

Scripture gives us permission to bring all of ourselves before God.

“Pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8).

God does not measure your year by productivity. He measures it by posture.

“A broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

Sometimes what feels like regression is actually refinement. God often does His deepest work in the years we wish we could skip.

He does not promise avoidance of hardship—but He does promise presence.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2).

Presence changes how we interpret the year. What once felt like a verdict becomes a testimony—not of perfection, but of grace.

Stepping Forward Without Rushing Ahead

Scripture does not present stepping forward as an impulsive movement. It presents it as responsive obedience.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

God gives light for the next step, not the entire road.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).

You do not need full clarity for the coming year. You need faithful obedience today.

Walking humbly—not sprinting anxiously—is the posture Scripture commends (Micah 6:8).

Four Practices for Finishing Well and Stepping Forward

As this year closes, Scripture invites us into simple, faithful rhythms—not resolutions, but alignment.

1. Practice honest review—with God, not against yourself.
Ask where you sensed God’s presence, where you resisted Him, what He taught you, and what He is inviting you to release.

2. Release what is not meant to go forward.
Not everything that hinders is sinful—some things are simply heavy. God invites you to lay them down (Hebrews 12:1; 1 Peter 5:7).

3. Clarify one faithful step forward.
Obedience grows through small, surrendered actions—not grand declarations (James 1:22).

4. Consecrate the coming season before it begins.
Offer your plans, time, energy, and relationships to God, trusting Him to establish your path (Joshua 3:5; Proverbs 3:5–6).

A simple rhythm:

• Review

• Release

• Respond

• Consecrate

Not complicated. Not overwhelming. Just faithful.

Closing with Peace, Stepping Forward with Trust

You do not have to rush the future.
You do not have to fear what’s next.
You do not have to carry yesterday into tomorrow.

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this” (Psalm 37:5).

God is faithful to guide you.

As you finish this year, may you do so with peace.
As you step forward, may you do so with courage.
And may the Lord—who began a good work in you—carry it on to completion.

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This reflection flows from Episode 4 of Rise with Brian Turner: God With Us — Finding Peace in the Waiting. If you are walking through a season of waiting, you are invited to listen, share, and return as we continue to explore what it means to rise into the life God is forming in us.