2025: There Is Beauty in the Breaking
God gives strength, and His timing is perfect.
2025 was a year that held both excitement and disappointment. It held incredibly vibrant, beautiful things that I had prayed for years and it also held moments where I truly thought I might die from a broken heart. Through all of it, God was there. To watch prayers come to life in real time was an incredible gift. Before this year began, I did that exercise where you write down all the things you want from God, I think it was supposed to be 300, and I made it to about 120. Let me tell you… a lot of those prayers were answered.
Ron happened.
I prayed for him.
And then there was another prayer, one I prayed 22 years ago, that God answered with a firm “no”. At the time, I didn’t understand why. This year, I was finally shown the reason. And I can say, with full certainty and gratitude, that His no was mercy. I am so thankful for it.
When I Realized God Was Answering in Real Time
In 2025, I met Ron.
The connection between us was immediate, and he was everything I had written down so many years ago on my “have to” list. I didn’t believe a man like him existed. I didn’t believe I was lovable. I didn’t think I would ever experience real love… authentic, healthy love.
I had accepted that I would live the rest of my life alone, and I had come to terms with that. And then God showed me otherwise.
What Life Taught Me Before 2025 and What It Got Wrong
Before Ron, life taught me how to be strong alone. It taught me I could navigate hard things by myself. That I didn’t need a companion to share joy or sorrow. Life taught me that alone was enough.
But it wasn’t.
Would it have been incredible to have a partner through my children’s heart surgeries? Through the death of my dad, my best friend? Through watching my daughter endure yet another surgery, this time for her the bone in her chest and pain no parent ever wants their child to face?
Of course it would have.
This year taught me that I needed him. I needed God. And God knew I needed Ron. All of those hard years prepared me for the strength I would need in 2025. The untold battles I fought this year made me more compassionate, more understanding, and more aware of the things people don’t say out loud.
The Season That Brought Me to My Knees
I am still in the middle of this season.
As I write this, we are waiting finding out what our future is going to look like, stepping into 2026 with hearts that are hopeful and heavy all at once. This season taught me that I cannot control everything. Good intentions aren’t enough. And trusting God with the humans He gifted me is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
My entire life as a parent has been spent trying to protect my children from evil, doing my absolute best to keep them safe. In this season, I couldn’t. I had to let go in ways that broke me open.
At first, I cried constantly… begging God to keep my kids safe. And then, slowly, little things started showing up. Reassurance. Peace. Moments that reminded me God was moving, working, healing, and protecting in ways I couldn’t see.
The Small Signs That Carried Me
God reminded me He was still working through sunsets that stopped me in my tracks.
Through the soft purr of my cat as she curled up beside me.
Through the unwavering dedication of my other children to our family unit.
Through the unconditional love and support of my friends… and from a family I was just beginning to know. Ron’s family. My new family.
God spoke through messages shared by Pastor Donny that felt written just for me. Through baby animals. Through watching young families laugh and love. Through reminders that God is good—all the time. And all the time, God is good.
What I’m Most Proud Of
In 2025, I am most proud of my ability to help others while I was struggling myself.
We started the year with loss on my daughter’s father’s side of the family, which eventually spiraled into challenges she needed guidance through. And while I quietly managed my own heart, no parent ever wants to watch their “picture-perfect” child fall.
I watched family take shape in unexpected ways. I watched a young man learn what true family looks like unconditional love and support. I watched God redeem an old “no” into something far greater than I could have imagined.
Professionally, I showed up. I helped colleagues. I served. I was trusted. I was appointed to a state-level task force—something I don’t take lightly.
I didn’t shrink. I didn’t disappear. I kept showing up.
What I’m Leaving Behind
I am leaving behind the version of myself that was built on lies the belief that I wasn’t good enough, strong enough, or important enough.
I’m leaving behind a mediocre life that simply coasts.
I am focusing on the projection of my future:
AlishaAke.com.
My blog.
My books.
My podcast (yes, I need to start it).
I know, without hesitation now, that I want to help, inspire, and empower others. I want to learn more. I want to do more that brings joy in a constructive, meaningful way.
I’m leaving behind doom-scrolling and hiding in my phone. I’m choosing real relationships, intentional growth, and most importantly a deeper relationship with God.
If You’re Reading This…
You are stronger than you feel.
You are wiser than you think.
And you are good enough.
If you think God doesn’t see you, sit with Him in the silence. Listen. Read His word. Spend time building that relationship.
Early in our relationship, my fiancé said something to me that changed everything:
“We are in a relationship, and we spend time together to get to know one another. Your relationship with God is the same. You can’t have a relationship with Him if you don’t spend time with Him, in His word.”
That truth shifted something in me.
If 2025 broke you in places, I promise the breaking wasn’t wasted.
There is beauty in the breaking.
And I pray you’re open enough to see it.
XO- Lish