Beginning 2025 on a Firm Foundation

Just before New Year's Eve, a Gallup poll survey headline accurately captured the feelings of many people in our nation: "Americans Predict Challenges in 2025, With a Few Bright Spots." The top concerns were unsurprising, including anxiousness about the economy and a growing budget deficit, intensified partisan conflict and more global disputes. Reactions were divided on whether crime rates would rise or fall, with 48% hopeful that our streets would be safer and 52% believing that lawbreaking would worsen. Barely three hours into 2025, we had a terrorist attack on our soil: An armed man drove a truck into a Bourbon Street crowd in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Fifteen people are now confirmed dead, with more than 30 injured. I was grateful that one of my cousins and two high school classmates, who were near the Bourbon Street celebrations, sent notifications on Facebook that they were not in harm's way. Shortly after the chaos in New Orleans, we were hit with the alarming report of a Tesla Cybertruck exploding in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. These tragic events at the new year's dawn caused many to ponder what lies ahead nervously. In reflecting on my outlook for 2025, I have decided to take a personal masterclass of faith this year, with Matthew 7:24-27 as a primary focus. Some of you may assume that I've been consistently walking by faith since my experiences and the political and social viewpoints I share in my column are written from a Christian perspective. However, my faith has been very shaky at times, and in 2024, I faced a significant life change. In my Thanksgiving column, I shared how I was adjusting to being a caregiver for my mother, and near the end of last year, my doctor expressed concern regarding my higher cholesterol levels, which I mostly attribute to stress. I had begun to worry about managing my mother's essential needs even though God had graciously blessed us to want for nothing. Moving forward, I know I must lean on, rely on and be confident in the Lord's provision. Although I've read Matthew 7:24-27 many times, studying it from a spiritual masterclass approach has revived my insight. This study method has been encouraged by my pastor, Overseer S.D. Carter, who often asks, "Have you been to class today?" With this question, she is not referring to routine attendance at weekly Bible sessions but to our intimate study and meditation of Scripture through the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The study of these verses in the seventh chapter of Matthew causes one to reevaluate his or her life's foundation critically. Here, Jesus concludes His teachings that began with the Beatitudes, urging His listeners to heed them as "a wise man, which built his house upon a rock." The "foolish man," on the other hand, built his house upon sand, which suffered a great fall. The rock symbolizes a steady foundation, and anyone who has worked in construction knows that a secure foundation of a home is the base structure underneath it. The base structure is often called the anchor because it averts shifting and enables a house to withstand storm forces. Jesus was exhorting the multitudes to anchor their faith in Him so that when the rain, floods and winds of life came, their spiritual groundwork would not collapse. Many will endure severe life storms in 2025. The families of the victims of the Bourbon Street attack have been rocked with a flood of devastating grief and sorrow, as no one saw this calamity coming. None of us knows what will happen regarding the domestic and global issues highlighted in the December Gallup survey as the year unfolds. The uncertainty on all fronts will undoubtedly cause many to be fretful about the future. A firm foundation is paramount as we face it. Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on X: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.