Home | Charis Buckland

Hello! If it’s cold where you are, grab a cup of hot tea or some creamy coffee and join me for a few minutes. It’s a new year and wow, it sneaked up fast. We crammed in Jenna’s and Raegan’s birthday party, the Nutcracker ballet, Christmas, and Brett’s birthday in December. We thoroughly enjoyed the Nutcracker as we were able to play Clara’s parents, which happened to be danced by Linley, as well as watch Ella Kate as a party guest, Jenna as an angel, and Raegan as a little snow. 

I will actually miss doing these vintage curls!

A new year usually is accompanied by new beginnings and fresh starts, which usually is regarded in a positive way. New beginnings may not even happen for everyone. Some of us may wake up in January and face the same challenges and losses that they ended the year with. Hardships pay no attention to the calendar, do they?  Hugs and hope to all of you who are in a season that is lasting longer than you thought it would. Hold on, okay?

Personally, this year I am still praying for things I have yet to see God do. We have been praying for at least four years for a more spacious house and a house we actually own again. Even the little people here have been seriously praying every single night for God to provide more space in a new house…and they’re still praying…every single night. Sometimes I have to tell my children what I know to be true about God, not what I feel is going on. I tell them I KNOW He hears (1 John 5:15) and He knows what we need, even when I FEEL He isn’t answering our prayers. 

 I would love to have more space, to paint walls, and plant flowers instead of renting. I would  We just hit our seven year anniversary of living in this house. Still praying. 

There are still other prayers, some known just to me, that I am still praying, and just kind of feel like quitting on that. I mean, how long must I wait on some stuff, right? I know some girls who are praying for a new job where they feel a sense of purpose, some girls who are praying for a husband, all who are in a season lasting way longer than they anticipated. Life can be painful. 

Some of us have experienced the loss of many things this year, big and small, and wake up in the new year with the same empty feelings. I, myself, am seeing friends move and relationships change, which feels really uncomfortable and unstable. Some of us may have been let go from a job, When many circumstances change all at once, it can be terrifying and incredibly painful, especially for people like me who like to plan and set goals. I like to know generally what is coming, prepare, and feel a sense of order. Life doesn’t always feel so orderly. Life can actually seem really agonizing. 

You may have read the story of Job. He had everything and everyone taken away except His wife. He remained faithful to God through it all, even though He became frustrated, He never cursed God, even when his friends suggested He should. It’s 2025 and it might seem that the story of Job, who lived so many years ago, is a nice story, and we should remain faithful, and then we move on with our lives. When real life stuff happens, do we live in this way? Do we trust God when it literally hurts? It seems contradictory to praise God when life seems incredibly unfair and to trust His plans when they are not revealed yet.

If you have a challenge this new year in whatever is happening in your life, you are not alone. It’s tough when people go back to work, people move on with their everyday lives, and life doesn’t stop no matter what is going on. It’s tough when you’re doing the laundry, making some food, or taking people to ballet class, and life is still moving, when life doesn’t make sense. It’s hard to carry on sometimes in the everyday tasks while waiting for God to move. 

It’s easy to post cute Bible verses and journal in pretty notebooks, but the real spiritual warfare, losing friendships, or being tested each day, is a different story. People don’t talk about the hard stuff that requires grit and faith when it seems impossible to make it. We have a lifetime of challenges, hardships, and difficulties, but He will be right here. 

When I was little, as in elementary school, I remember singing “Trust and Obey” as a closing hymn some Sunday nights at church. Yes, people had church even on Sunday nights back in the day! It was a lot easier to sing it, leave church, and go about life than it is to actually have to live that out when life gets tough!

There is a girl right here with some “stuff” that is being brought right into the new year. I am here with you, friend. He is near to the broken-hearted and He saves those crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18). He understands the tenderness of our hearts. Even when it feels like disappointments and losses are rapidly coming at us, they have nothing to stand on. We must rely on what we know to be TRUE about God, not just how we feel. 

I KNOW that:

I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14

I KNOW that:

He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity. Happy is the person who trusts in you. Psalm 84:11-12

I KNOW that:

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:13

God replaces disappointments with joy and peace. Let’s look with expectant hearts to see evidence of God’s loving hand this year. For whatever season you are in, let’s look for His work and miracles in our lives. 

Love,
Charis

Pic(k) of the day:
Back to that time Christmas week when our washer quit and we took some mounds of laundry to the laundromat! Wow, quarters do not go far these days! We weren’t even sure what people were going to have in their drawers to wear on Christmas Day!