Grace, Growth, and Surviving 2025

I’ve realized something about myself: I write best either in the middle of the night, when the world is asleep, and my thoughts are loud, or somewhere in the countryside, where silence does half the work for me. So, guess which one won today?

It’s my birthday. Miaka ingine ata staki kusema. Let’s just say I’ve lived long enough to have back pain from bad sitting positions and wisdom that came from pure suffering. As tradition dictates, I always have something to say about the year that just passed—and 2025?Evil. Wicked. Unhinged. A menace. Honestly, I deserve a certificate. A trophy. A parade. Something. Because surviving that year was not by strength or vibes—it was God. But somehow, despite the chaos, it ended well. And somehow, this year began well, too. Grace really said, “Let me cook.”

There’s something about being born in January. You get to reset twice. January 1st for the world, and your birthday for yourself. So happy new year to me—and to you guys who’ve been here consistently. Nyinyi ni wa true.

This week, I finished reading the book of Esther. Whether it was a coincidence or God’s impeccable timing, I’ll say it was Him—because everything in my life somehow finds a way to loop back to God. Always.

Funny enough, I was once cast as Queen Esther in a Sunday school play a lifetime ago. I don’t remember if I had lines. I don’t remember if I acted well. I just know I was there, probably overdressed and underprepared 🤣. But reading the story now, as an adult, hit very differently. At first, I couldn’t even get past Chapter 1. Queen Vashti refusing to be paraded in front of the king and his drunk friends? Honestly? Relatable. I, too, would have said, “Absolutely not.” But laws were laws, and Vashti paid the price—she was banished.

By Chapter 3, things escalate quickly. Haman (a professional hater, by the way) plots to wipe out all Jews because Mordecai refused to bow to him. One man’s bruised ego nearly caused genocide. Insane behavior.

In Chapter 4, Mordecai learns of the decree and reacts the only reasonable way—he loses it. Sackcloth. Ashes. Loud wailing in public. Esther hears about this and sends people to ask what’s wrong. When she finds out, she asks the question many of us ask when confronted with other people’s suffering: “What do you want me to do about it?” She even throws in a little excuse—no one can approach the king unless summoned. Which, okay, fair… but also… sis, you’re literally the queen. Fear was doing the talking.

Mordecai’s response is one of the most uncomfortable and powerful moments in scripture: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house, you alone will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, deliverance will arise from another place…And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

That line? It sat with me. Because what if Esther, even for a moment, thought she was above the decree? Did her position make her untouchable? And honestly—don’t we all do that sometimes? We look at other people’s situations and think, “There’s no way that could ever be me.” We scroll, we comment, we judge, we detach. We ask, “But what am I supposed to do about it?” What if we are all Esthers in small, everyday ways? What if the moment you’re asked to help, to listen, to speak up, or even just to pray—it’s your “such a time as this”?

When I look at what’s happening politically around us, even in neighboring countries, and I see the comments online—the arrogance, the distance, the “that could never be us”—I get uncomfortable. Do we really think we’re better? Do we know what this year or the next holds, given the leadership we’ve chosen? History humbles everyone eventually.

My biggest lesson: we are not above any situation, and just because it hasn’t happened to you yet doesn’t mean it won’t. So, pray. For yourself. For others. For mercy.

GRACE.

Grace is not weakness. Grace is humanity.As Joanna Macy says, “Grace happens when we act with others on behalf of our world. “Sometimes I catch myself wondering, 'Do people really deserve this much grace?”Then I remember how often I pray to be treated gently when I mess up. And suddenly the math makes sense. Extend grace. Let people grow. Let them make mistakes. Let them show up as their authentic selves around you because they know you won’t crucify them for being human.

COMMUNICATE.

Life is already too short to live scared of people’s opinions. Say when you’re uncomfortable. Say when you’re grateful. Say when something hurts you. Communication fixes more than silence ever will—and it creates room for understanding where the other person was coming from. But communication does not always mean heavy, talk to your friends over a glass of wine or milk (to each their own) and just talk about your happy thoughts, catch up ad make merry or even a proper book club(THANK YOU MEG)

GRIEVE WHAT YOU’VE LOST.

No, grief is not only for death. It’s for lost opportunities. Lost dreams. Lost friendships. Breakups. Even that one shoe that disappeared mysteriously. Feel it. Cry about it. Just don’t live there. Don’t miss the next big thing because you’re holding onto the last one. It will sneak up on you anyway. Let God handle the rest.

FORGIVE PEOPLE AND LET THEM GO.

Half the time, they’re not even thinking about you. Meanwhile, you’re replaying conversations from 2019. Free yourself. Live authentically. Laugh loudly. Forgive fully. Let go and let God. This life is meant to be enjoyed, please.

TRAUMA.

Trauma is sneaky. If you don’t deal with it, it leaks. Onto people who didn’t hurt you. Into situations that didn’t threaten you. Suddenly, the whole world feels like an enemy—yet the world has nothing to do with you. Unhealed trauma isolates you. It convinces you everyone is against you when really, you just need help. And there is no shame in getting it.

I really do not have a lot of lessons I want to share because I am still figuring out some things as we go, but these ones particularly stood out for me from last year. To everyone who reads, comments, and shares my blogs thank you very much. I pray that this year is kind to you, that all your dreams come true, may every silent prayer be answered, but above all, I wish you love and health and an abundance of God’s blessings. Thankyou for all my birthday wishes. I can sense that this year will be nothing short of Awesome and I know it cause my God is always with me.