“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8 NIV
There’s something about the end of the year that always sparks hope in me. Perhaps it’s the closing of a yearly chapter and the gratitude of being alive to walk into another new year. Maybe it’s the hope that the next year will be bigger and better than the last. I’m not sure, but I love it. I also love the musical RENT, more specifically, the movie. The song at the beginning of the movie always rings in my mind at the end of the year. It goes: “525,600 minutes. 525,600 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?” It then goes on to describe different ways that you can measure a year of life, since there are 525,600 minutes in one year. Then it says, “How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of Love.” The topic of seasons has bombarded me many times over the last few months in various conversations.
2025 was truly a season of love; loving myself, my life, my daughter, and God. It was a year of revelations and a building of true faith, so it seems fitting to release and share. If you stay tuned to the end of this, you may understand why. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Seasons remind us that there is a beginning and an ending to everything under the sun. There’s much beauty in believing that, because if you’re going through hard times, there is always a guaranteed end. My new season entailed many moves. Thanks to this blog, you can likely track my beginnings and endings. A season ended last year, in February 2024, when I put my first home, as a homeowner, up for sale. This was a complex decision with several factors, but wise nonetheless. Still, the entire sale process was challenging from start to finish. There was even a dark financial season because I was balancing the finances of the home I rent, while also still covering the expenses of the home I still owned. But…seasons. We live and we certainly learn. Thank God for the buyer that eventually came along in September 2024. I’ll eventually purchase again at the opportune time.
Before the home was sold, I moved back to Huntsville, TX with my daughter, in May 2024. I went to college here, and the feeling of familiarity and “home” stuck with me, long after I graduated 12 years ago. More importantly, it’s only 45 minutes from my mother’s home versus the previous 2 hours. She’s been a Godsend in helping with my daughter ever since she was born. So you see, my new season started with a move. For life to progress, we cannot be afraid to make moves. Moving keeps us alive, literally. It is a life hack to know when and how to pivot.
I started 2025 by writing down 8 goals for the year. I’m ending 2025 having checked them all off (well, except for one and a half). So I’ll share a few with you. The first goal on my list was to get my health in order. The last two blog posts I’ve shared here, openly referenced the struggle of weight loss/weight gain. I was at my heaviest 3 years ago. I had been praying for the motivation to do better, but it seems I wasn’t in the right position to receive it. Now 3 years later, I am down 106 lbs. Twenty-five of those pounds are due to the weight loss “shots”, so don’t knock them til you try them. The other 81 is attributed to natural loss due to a complete change in diet, light exercise, and possibly a sprinkle of stress over the last 3 years 🙂 . I have a goal to lose another 50 pounds or so, and I look forward to continuing this journey to better health.
Another goal I wrote down, because it was and still is important to me, was to get my daughter involved in extracurricular activities early. In February 2025, we joined gymnastics. I say “we” because it was a “parent and me” course, though I was always the one walking away sweating. Not to mention, she absolutely would not listen to any instructions 🙂 . We ended that season in June 2025 after we both caught COVID. I watched them sanitize the mats before every class, but I was still traumatized. So, holla at ya Coach! Maybe some other time. Funnily enough, the first time I had COVID was when I was pregnant with her, so I guess you can say we’ve had it at the same time twice. I’m eying two other activities for 2026, so watch out for her. I also tried on new hobbies this year including storytelling, crocheting, and a pottery class. I looked at each as journeys down different paths of self-expression and creativity. One of which, will soon open a new chapter as everything continues to divinely align.
In March 2025, I celebrated my 10th year as a licensed social worker. Though for nearly 3 years now, I’ve been in a completely different career. It was during this celebration that a dear friend of mine told me, in so many words, that she noticed a difference in me. She suggested that I speak with someone because it would help be an outlet to gain clarity. For that, I thank her, because it threw my seasons into overdrive from that moment. She had only confirmed what I had been procrastinating on for months. I acquired a therapist for the first time, and it’s been an enlightening experience. I’m actually long overdue for a session, so I should call her. When people care about you and/or love you, it shows. The actions of love will always be apparent; the opposite is also true.
Also in March 2025, I made the conscious decision to end my six-year marriage and ten-year relationship. Just so we’re clear, this was NOT a 2025 goal written on my list. It was, instead, the result of an inevitable voice in my spirit that I could not ignore, due to a pattern of repeated situations and behaviors over the years. Simply put, it didn’t work out. Ironically, my pastor preached a sermon series on seasons recently. He said, “be careful of creating cycles and calling it seasons. Seasons mandate change because they CHANGE with time. Cycles are patterns that need to be broken. They do not change with time, therefore must be disrupted.” Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” I choose to believe that God has a greater purpose, that everything that occurs was already written in His plan, and His plan will continue to be revealed. I know what I heard, I know what I felt, and I know I wouldn’t be in this current space of RESTORATION had all events not occurred. However, before actually filing the papers, I battled in my mind for MONTHS. Dealing with confusion, fear, and doubt about how the outcome of my decision would appear, naturally and spiritually. It was only through MOVING forward that peace began to settle within me.
The same Word of God that frowns upon divorce also offers and welcomes grace, mercy, and above all, Love. In regards to fear and confusion, I was reminded that God calls us to live in peace (Colossians 3:15). That there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). That God is not the author of confusion (another version says disorder) but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). That God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). I could go on and on with what is said concerning doubt and worry, but our focus today is love. I made peace with the fact that it was a decision out of LOVE. Iyanla Vanzant once said, “It’s not loving to ask somebody to do something they are unable or unwilling to do.” To love God is to love myself, and vice versa, being that we are made in His image. The same applies to loving others. After all, it is the first and second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-40). The decision was legally finalized in July 2025. That season of my life left a lifelong impact, one that has ultimately shaped me for the better. Every moment, from start to finish, was necessary for everything that is to follow. I’ve shared all that matters on this topic, and there’s no need to elaborate further…ever again. Because that season served its purpose, there are no hard feelings for the past, present, or future. Seasons of Love.
In May 2025, I celebrated a 5-year milestone with my job. It is the longest time I have spent with any employer. I have held a few different positions, but all within the same company. I decided to add to my repertoire of knowledge this year, by gaining a CAPM certification for future opportunities of advancement. However, a spot on the corporate ladder is not exactly my life’s end goal. Nonetheless, I’ve been open about my job-hopping ability in a few previous posts, so this longevity is a true accomplishment for me. The idea of not being afraid to make moves underlines my ability to move on from a job. Yet, the need for stability, security, and maturity underlines my ability to remain…in anything. I don’t foresee an exit, on my end, anytime soon. May the Lord say the same.
The last written goal on my list for 2025 was stated as, “More Bible.” Now stay with me here 🙂 . In April 2025, I joined a new church and was baptized again. Our pastor said that this year he was going to teach us “how to thrive in 2025” and that this is “365 days of miracles.” I completely agree because we have been blessed beyond measure this year. Through reflection, I decided on December 31, 2024, to read the Bible in its entirety in 2025. That is cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation; for the sole purpose of knowing and understanding God for myself. I personally felt I was undeserving to proclaim anything about the Word of God having never ingested the FULL story. That goal is now settled, as I finished a complete one year journey through the Good Book two weeks ago. I’ve now began a deeper study because reading can hold little meaning without true application. What God starts, He finishes (see Philippians 1:6). My confidence in understanding the Word has grown and with it, my discernment within myself about people, places, and things that cross my path. When my mind is made up, I’m not easily swayed, impressed, or intimidated. Psychology goes hand in hand with spirituality, and can be a force to be reckoned with, when used appropriately.
Furthermore, it is evident that The Bible is the ultimate self-help book. It is the handbook for living a life, even with all the ups and downs that our choices will bring. I’m an avid recreational reader. I managed to read 20 books last year despite a full-time job and raising a toddler 🙂 . My point is that when I read, I look for the plot, the twists and turns, the character development, etc. The Bible is a lengthy story with many subplots within. Some subplots are retold from different points of view. There are some minor and MAJOR characters, and lastly, one overarching theme. That theme is the NEVER-ENDING, faithful, and unfailing Love of GOD! Every season is a Season of Love. “And if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).
The host of the one year Bible plan that I participated in repeatedly said that when reading the Bible, you should look for the character of GOD in His words and actions. My God is He a patient, faithful, and loving Father. I cried tears of gratitude recently while thinking about how much He’s brought me through in just the last decade. He’s carried me, without a shadow of a doubt. With every move I made in the last couple of years, He guided me through with grace. Every scheme the enemy tried to employ, He blocked it. Further proving it was Him directing my paths. When it seemed as if the walls of life were closing in on me and my thoughts were getting the best of me, He gave me His peace and strength. There’s been some long nights this year, with just Him, me, and my tears. Every tear signified a beautiful release of all things that were no longer in alignment. Through His grace, I feel free in mind, body, soul, and spirit. Free to love, free to grow, free to give, free to receive, free to learn, and free to heal.
Romans 8:39 says, “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” For that, I am eternally grateful. I look at God through the lens of a parent. I’ve come to learn through experience, that Motherhood stops for nothing and no one; neither does God’s love. He’s the Ultimate Father because He loves you unconditionally, even when He has to discipline you to teach you a life lesson. He protects you, covers you, and KNOWS you like an actively present and fully invested Father. In addition, He certainly keeps His Word. God is really about that ACTION. In other words, He can show you even better than He can tell you 🙂 . That’s the kind of love I hope to give, receive, and carry all the rest of the days of my life. If you can’t love me and come through for me like God and my mama, then there quite frankly is no position for you in my life. As the girls say, clock it!
I thrived in 2025, despite any challenges, because I’m alive and well. It’s a day to day journey to strive to walk uprightly, but it’s not impossible. Goals for 2026 have been written and I choose to spend 2026 and forward, continuing to love God, myself, my daughter, my family, and my life. Speaking of my daughter, she’s about to start her own new season! She begins pre-school in 5 days! If we are friends on Facebook, then you’ve watched her grow from her first day on Earth. She’s a constant reminder of God’s Spirit dwelling within us, because I know what it feels like to have unconditional and unfailing love for your child. She’s the proof that God is faithful. She’s proof that no time spent was in vain. She’s proof that nothing just happens. To watch her personality bloom daily is pure joy for me and we have excitement for her next season. I’m also a little terrified to watch her go out into this world and encounter the things that come with it.
Parenting has been absolutely the hardest (and expensive) task of my life and we’re only 3 years in 🙂 . It is a rollercoaster of emotions in being sure you’re thoroughly involved in the upbringing of a decent human being. Yes, I’m aware that the challenges only increase with age. Though, because of previous pregnancy losses, I have to check myself about grumbling. I’m literally built for this since God entrusted me with this innocent soul in the first place. I commend all parents who show up, do the work, and go nonstop for their little blessings because it is truly a full time and lifetime job. I pray I’m doing something right. My constant prayer is Lord please cover my child, I cannot do this without You, in Jesus Name! God has been an exceptional Co-parent and I look forward to His guidance in the coming seasons.
As I’ve been saying, with every start there is a finish. To everything, there is a season. With that being said, this is the final blog post on Conquering Shenea Spirit. This is not a goodbye; it’s just a see you later and a catch me in another season. The blog season has ended, as I feel a strong pull to enter a period of silence in all areas. I’m so grateful for the experience that we have shared since May 2018. It’s been 7 years, and for some, the number 7 symbolizes perfection (as in wholeness) and completion. Side note: That’s why I like to say some of the greatest people are born in July, the 7th month of the year. Shoutout to God for my baby and I both being July babies. 😉
I’ve poured out many heartfelt moments through this blog, and I was ALWAYS met with so much love and support from those of you who took the time to read. For that, I love you dearly. For those of you who have shared your story and allowed me to post it here, Thank You! Your words crossed the oceans and seas (we have the statistics to prove it). When the idea to start a blog bloomed, it was to showcase the personal journey of life and overcoming barriers; for myself and any others that wanted to share their story. I hoped to not appear self-righteous or conceited. There’s not a single human walking this earth that can proclaim to be without flaw. My desire is that something thoughtful was shared, learned, and understood about me and maybe yourselves through the years.
A good friend of mine and I were texting about adulthood and she said “you’re my adultier adult.” We laughed and I said “I’m winging it most of the time.” The realization is that through every phase of life we’re all just trying to figure it out. The key is to Trust God, never stop moving forward (but do stop to rest), and certainly don’t just settle for giving/receiving the bare minimum. The steps have already been ordered. As for myself, I accept every win, every loss, and every lesson that leads me to God’s greater purpose. The posts on this site will likely remain public until the domain is no longer available. Until then, remember to measure your years of life in seasons of LOVE. “To be a conqueror is to love better.” No matter what the seasons bring, pray, and stand in faith knowing that ALL is ALWAYS WELL. Happy New Year, and many blessings to you in every season!
P.S. You’ll catch me on your bookshelf soon. 😊
Peace & Love
CSS – Conquering Shenea Spirit – Chiquita Shenea Sherman
Conquering Shenea Spirit 