Begin again
Building up hope after a season of uncertainty
The Redbud Hyphen is a literary magazine written by women from diverse backgrounds who are part of the Redbud Writers Guild. The following piece is the fifth essay for our March 2026 focus on the Wilderness. Read more here about our exploration of the themes for 2026, which we will share this year through creative and reflective writing.
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5 NIV)
Moving from a winter season of uncertainty, struggle, or disappointment into the spring of our hearts can be challenging, even as more light dawns, hope arrives, and hope blooms more fully each day. When we’ve lived so long in the shadow, stepping into the light can make us hesitate and overthink whether we are truly moving into something that promises life and joy. Believing that good is coming can be a slow and subtle process, one we don’t recognize until one day we look back on where we’ve been and see how goodness has grown over time.
But God’s patience persists through our hesitation. Do not underestimate the great work of our God: He makes all things new. He paves the way through the wilderness and brings streams into the desert (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV). Where there was desolation, tender shoots spring up in restoration. Tears are wiped away, and we are held in the loving embrace of a good God who is sowing beauty back into our lives. From the ashes, dreams are reborn.
There will be an ultimate day when Jesus returns and reigns on earth, restoring it to the way all things were meant to be. He will bring justice and healing, and everything will be set right. We have this promise to look forward to (Revelation 21:6 NIV), but one more beautiful thing about God is that He is still setting things straight in the here and now. Maybe you’ve lived in disappointment for too long as one dream after another broke and disbanded; God is shaping a new dream in you and building joy within. Maybe you’ve moved more times than you care to count and haven’t found the deep and lasting connection you crave; this next move could be where God brings community as you’ve never imagined. Maybe it’s been a long season of battling physical ailments, and now you have a clean bill of health; what could God want to show you in this season of building strength and entering different daily rhythms?
Where we’ve been rundown, God is restoring. Jesus came not just to close the gap between God and humanity through his death on the cross, but to give us a glimpse of what kingdom living looks like when we walk with him.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV).
This passage in Isaiah shows us how Jesus desires to work in the world. He has come to bind up the brokenhearted, to free those caught in captivity, to declare God’s favor, and to comfort the weary. He longs to restore mourning by making joy pour from our hearts again, reversing the curse of death and decay and restoring all things bright and beautiful.
This is the hope we have as we tentatively place one foot, then the next, onto the new path we are walking. He gives us assurance of His faithfulness as we begin again in a season of healing and newness. Jesus, who came to feel all we feel and live as we live, cups our face in his hands and declares, “I am making all things new!”
Nothing is beyond his reach or attention. He is anointed to repair and renew, to weave a garment of praise and plant oaks of righteousness that display the splendor of the LORD. This means me; this means you.
Lift your eyes to Jesus and see him doing a new thing in you. Are you ready to begin again?
*Excerpt from All the Hard Things: 50 Days Through the Valley by Harvest House Publishers
Sarah Freymuth is the content and storytelling manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and she writes for numerous platforms, including Proverbs 31 Ministries, YouVersion, (in)Courage, and She Reads Truth. Sarah loves unearthing God’s goodness in places that don’t feel good, with a heart especially for faith and mental health. She enjoys a simple Wisconsin life by Lake Michigan with her husband, Eric, and Beaglier pup, Alfie. Her book, All the Hard Things: 50 Days Through the Valley, is available now.
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An excellent devotional. One we all need on our shelves and to share with others.
What a timely reminder. Thank you!