Chronicles of a Resilient -December Edition Woman-December
"Be Still and Know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46: 10
Chronicles of a Resilient Woman: Shifts
Have you ever felt so off balance that you don’t even know what your next move should be?
I’m not talking about the kind of instability caused by vertigo or illness though I know that terrain well. I’m talking about the kind that shakes your confidence. The kind that makes you pause, question, and wonder if the rhythm you once trusted still fits.
That is my current state.
Can you believe that on the fourth day of January, Ms. Irons Sharpens has yet to reflect on her 2025 year?
It’s true.
There has been a shift in my personal rhythm.
After a conversation with a friend, I was reminded that winter calls us to hibernate and rest. Just as nature pauses to restore what has been spent, this season invites us to slow our pace, retreat inward, and prepare quietly for what will bloom later.
Image courtesy of Unsplash.jpg Yuri Anthonenko
The Reality of 2025
2025 was a lot even for me.
Those who know me often describe me as a pillar of strength and resilience. But this year tested my resolve in ways I did not anticipate. After going home in November, I began to regain my footing. As December approached, I pressed forward working on goals, preparing for the holidays, staying faithful to what I knew.
But as the month accelerated, fatigue and exhaustion set in.
For years, it had been tradition for me to host dinner and a New Year’s brunch for family and friends. Yet this time, I heard a quiet but unmistakable whisper: Do something different.
So I did.
The gatherings born out of tradition and necessity did not happen. Instead, I spent a quiet Christmas with a dear friend and her family. Her mother prepared a beautiful spread of traditional Guyanese food though ironically, after two urgent care visits that month (one for a lower back disc flare and another for food poisoning), I couldn’t partake.
December also held sacred and sobering moments:
Releasing a letter that finally closed the door on lingering hurt
Watching my niece and nephews open their gifts
Sending Christmas cards and gifts to loved ones
Supporting my friends as they prepared for an upcoming mission trip to Guyana
In choosing quiet, I found presence. In slowing down, I found purpose.
When Reflection Is Deferred
The final week of the year normally reserved for reflection never came.
Each time I tried, something within me whispered:
“Not yet. Rest. Let Me lead.”
And I listened.
The truth is, there were many wins in 2025:
An award-winning documentary
A business grant
Hiring a virtual assistant
Acceptance into the NASDAQ entrepreneurial program
Mentoring a college student
Speaking engagements in multiple spaces
Celebrating my son stepping into his role as a Youth Pastor
Yet still, my heart desired something different for 2026.
Not movement for the sake of momentum.
Not planning because “that’s what we do.”
I want a life with no regret one that is pleasing to God and reflective of His will, not just my own. I want my beliefs, my thinking, and the fruit I produce to be in alignment with Him—the Author and Finisher of my faith.
Recently, I heard a phrase on the Mel Robbins podcast stopped me in my tracks:
“What others think of me is not my business.”
Though the statement was familiar, it settled in my heart in a new way quietly radical and unexpectedly freeing.
What 2025 Taught Me
This year revealed truths I can no longer ignore:
Sometimes you must go home and pause
God hears prayers and answers them in His timing
Perfection stifles creativity and fuels procrastination
Belief alone is not enough if your thinking is misaligned
Not everyone values friendship the way I do—and that’s okay
Jealousy and fear can lead others to sabotage what they don’t understand
Not everyone deserves access to your gift
I do not need another class or course God has already resourced me
The more I tried to “check the box” of reflection, the more resistance I encountered and in the stillness, I realized why.
I wasn’t resisting reflection I was resisting control.
Vision boards, resolutions, and planning all have their place. But this year, God was asking me to give Him room to do what He desires in my life.
The truth is, the inception of my business was never mine alone. Every idea, every word, every act of advocacy especially standing in the gap for those living with migraine—is bigger than me.
After the Shaking
2025 rocked me. It shook me.
But when the dust settled, I was still standing and God had shown Himself mighty.
Through disappointment in ministry, renewal of faith in people, retreat, and therapy, God gently but firmly brought forward the areas I had avoided. He increased my discernment. He removed individuals I once broke bread with. He cleaned my house—spiritually and figuratively.
He gave me space to forgive and reminded me that even when people reject you, He does not.
As I enter the next 21 days of prayer and fasting, I have set no goal, no agenda and no plan yet.
I am seeking God for how and what He wants me to do in this season.
He is calling me to wait.
To be still.
To trust Him : now.
This is deeply uncomfortable for the perfectly planned, prepared perfectionist within me. Yet today, God confirmed His word again.
So as I write these words, I am surrendering obedient, expectant, and open. I am excited to see how God moves in the next 21 days.
Happy New Year, Irons Sharpeners.
Take the time to be still.
Stay tuned for next weeks blog as I continue sharing this journey of perseverance setbacks, small victories, and hope. Schedule a consultation here: https://ironsconsultinggroupllc.com/contactus
visit us @ironsconsultinggroupllc.com and follow us on social media.
