Carrie Baker – The Growth Collective

Reflections on leaving a year well, working with God, and making space for a new beginning

Leaving the Year Well

As the year begins to draw to a close, I find myself returning to a question that has grown more important to me with time: How do we leave things well, and how do we begin a new season with intention?

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more aware I am that endings matter. Not just the big ones, but the quieter, ordinary endings too. Seasons end. Roles shift. Doors close. And often, the way we leave one season shapes how we enter the next.

For me, this past year has been a year of leaving things. Of laying things down. Of responding to the gentle, and sometimes uncomfortable, invitation of the Lord to move onwards.

Recently my husband and I celebrated our twenty-first wedding anniversary. Over those years we have learned that anniversaries are rarely just about looking back. They are also an invitation to look ahead. We spent some time talking about the year we have just lived, what it has held, and what might be coming next. We reflected on the things we have let go of, individually and together, and considered what else might need to be released as we prepare to step into a new season.

Some of those things were obvious. Mindsets that no longer serve us. Commitments that once felt right but now feel heavy. Doors the Lord has closed, even when we might have preferred them to stay open. Others were quieter, more subtle. The gradual accumulation of responsibilities, expectations, and time commitments that can so easily build up without us really noticing.

The Blessing of Pruning

December has a way of offering us space for this kind of reflection. There is something about the slowing down of the year, the shortening days, and the natural pause before what comes next. It feels like an invitation to do a personal audit, to notice what we are carrying, and to ask the Lord where He might be inviting us to make room.

Jesus’ words in John’s Gospel have come to mind a lot this year:

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:2 NIV

I find this both challenging and comforting. Challenging, because pruning involves loss. Comforting, because pruning is never punishment. It is preparation. It is the careful work of a Loving Gardener who knows that fruitfulness depends on space, light, and attention.

Every month I try to do a simple check-in with myself. A moment to ask how I am really doing, what feels life-giving, and what feels draining. But sometimes I need something more like an audit. A deeper look at the things I have taken on, what my time and energy are being spent on, and whether they are still aligned with what the Lord has asked of me.

When I bring these questions to the Lord, the answers are usually . Often there is a gentle sense of yes or no in my spirit. Or I feel where the Holy Spirit’s peace, rests. Sometimes there is freedom to choose. 

And occasionally there is an invitation to trust Him enough to lay something down, even when I am not quite sure what will take its place.

Our homes need regular clear-outs because, over time, we somehow accumulate stuff. Life is no different. Without noticing, our diaries fill, our responsibilities multiply, and our capacity stretches thinner than it was ever meant to. This time of reflection helps us notice what has quietly crept in, and discern what is ours to carry into the next season, and what is not.

Take Time to Reflect

If you find yourself in a reflective space as the year draws to a close, here are some questions you might like to sit with prayerfully. 

You could write them in your journal, talk them through with God on a walk, or simply hold them before Him and see what rises to the surface.

• What has the Lord specifically asked you to take on this year?
• What new responsibilities or roles have you stepped into?
• What have you taken on that the Lord did not ask of you?
• What has consistently drained you or felt heavy to carry?
• What do you sense the Lord inviting you to leave behind as you move into a new year?
• What has brought you genuine joy and life over the past months?
• What dreams or desires has God awakened, or reawakened, in you?
• What rhythms or habits have helped you remain spiritually healthy?
• What rhythms or routines might need adjusting or releasing as you look ahead?

As we return again to Jesus’ words about pruning, we are reminded that God is deeply invested in our growth. He is not hurried. He is not harsh. He knows exactly what to trim and what to keep. And as we surrender each part of our lives to Him, we can trust that what He asks us to release will always grow deeper, fuller, life.

Leaving a year well, does not mean tying everything up neatly or having all the answers. It simply means finishing with intention. It means paying attention to what has been, and choosing to step forward with openness, with grace for the things we didn’t do well, rather than regret.

And then, almost without noticing, our attention turns to beginnings. The start of a new year often carries a sense of excitement. There is something appealing about the clean slate, the fresh page, the possibility of doing things differently. 

Yet for many of us, this is also mixed with pressure. The quiet disappointment of goals unmet. The weight of resolutions we did not keep. The sense that somehow we should be further along than we are.

Over time, I have come to realise that the first of January is not a magical day. It is simply a marker we use to measure time. And that means we are free. Free to begin again on a Tuesday in March. Free to change direction in October. Free to start small, whenever we are ready.

If you want to read more about this, you take a look at 2 previous blog posts: Goals Vs Resolutions or this one: Before You Step into The New Year.

The Lord’s plans for our lives are not confined to dates in a diary.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

God’s plans bring purpose to our days. And often, the things He invites us into begin with something very ordinary. A small intention. A simple practice. One faithful step. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3 NIV

Perhaps there is something you have been thinking about as the year turns. A change you want to make. A rhythm you want to rebuild. A creative project you long to return to. Learning to rest more deeply. Caring for your body. Making space again to read Scripture.

Do Not Despise Small Beginnings

Whatever it is, I want to encourage you to begin gently. Take the pressure off. You do not need to overhaul your life in a week. You do not need impressive plans or perfect consistency. You simply need to begin.

Write down your intention. Ask the Lord how He would have you take the first step. Then take it, however small it feels.

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zechariah 4:10 NIV

For me, this verse has become a steady companion on the journey. It has reminded me time and again, that God delights in beginnings. Not just the big, bold ones, but the quiet, almost unnoticed starts. He rejoices to see you begin the things He has created you to do. And He is not dismissive of small steps, even when we are tempted to be.

Permission to Begin Gently

If you are planning something, hoping for something, or quietly carrying a desire into the coming year, hear this as an invitation rather than a demand. 

You are allowed to start softly. You are allowed to learn as you go. You are allowed to ask God to carry the weight alongside you.

As you give yourself permission to look ahead into the year ahead, you might like to reflect on these questions as you do: 

• What is one small step I could take this week towards something the Lord has placed on my heart?
• Which intentions feel aligned with what God is inviting me into right now?
• Where am I putting pressure on myself that God is not putting on me?
• What might a gentle, simple beginning look like in this season?
• How can I invite God into my planning instead of carrying it alone?

As we leave one year behind and begin another, my prayer for you is this. May you leave with grace and thankfulness, releasing what no longer aligns with where the Lord is leading. And may you begin with whole hearted trust in our God and His good and perfect plans, taking one small step at a time.

The Lord is not in a hurry. He is with you in the pruning, and He delights in every beginning.

I want to encourage you to set aside an hour this week. Light a candle. Make a hot drink. Take your journal. Open your Bible. And ask the Lord what is yours to release, and what is yours to carry forward. Trust that He will meet you there, in the quiet and the honest prayer.

I will see you soon, friend.

With love,

Carrie x

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