It’s January. Again. And all around, people are buzzing with optimism or actively creating lists of resolutions for the New Year. Perhaps you are, too. Or maybe… just maybe… 2026 isn’t holding the usual excitement for you. It could be that 2025 didn’t quite live up to the hype or left you with a trail of abandoned resolutions. Or maybe you’re still reeling from disappointment or feeling guilty that this year’s resolutions look suspiciously identical to last year’s. If this resonates and 2025 feels more frustrating than fulfilling, now is a good time to reflect through a biblical lens. If 2025 was difficult and 2026 brings more questions than answers, chances are you’re still becoming.
What “Becoming” Looks Like
To know what becoming looks like, it helps to first define it. Merriam-Webster defines “becoming” as coming into existence or undergoing change or development. Crystal clear? Not really. Honestly, these definitions seem to raise more questions than answers. “Coming to be what? Entering into what existence? Experiencing what kind of change or growth?” And Merriam-Webster’s response to these questions? Crickets. The dictionary leaves us to determine the face of something we can’t even fully name. How can we embrace becoming in 2026 when uncertainty outweighs clarity about what lies ahead? Thankfully, God’s Word provides some examples to guide us.
Biblical Examples of Becoming
The Bible is full of people whose paths were rarely simple or certain. Many biblical figures we admire began vulnerable or overlooked before growing into who God intended them to be. Some started small or unlikely; some endured unexpected hardships; some were far from where God would ultimately use them. In short, the Bible is full of examples of growth and evolution being… well… messy. Their stories remind us that growth is gradual and often shaped through challenge, much like the challenges of 2025. Here we explore three biblical examples shaped through seasons of difficulty.
Jacob: Self-Reliant Deceiver to God-Dependent Patriarch (Genesis 25–35)
From the beginning, the Bible portrays Jacob as a deceiver who relies on his own wits to get ahead. His desire for a birthright and a blessing led him to take advantage of his brother and deceive his father. In Jacob’s family, the birthright was especially significant, as it determined who would inherit God’s covenant with Abraham: the promise of land, nationhood, and ultimately the Messiah.
Whether or not Jacob understood God’s prophecy, he pursued the birthright out of self-interest. God’s plan ultimately prevailed, but Jacob’s actions forced him to flee his home to escape Esau’s anger — setting him on a long path of becoming.
Jacob’s becoming began in exile, serving his uncle Laban for decades while enduring labor, deception, and conflict. God used this time to refine Jacob’s character — teaching patience, humility, and trust in divine provision — even as Jacob relied on his wits to navigate Laban’s schemes. But when afraid, lonely, and challenged, he gradually discovered that God’s presence was with him, even amid uncertainty.
Over time, fear and uncertainty drove Jacob toward God in a prayer marked by humility, faith, and gratitude. When Jacob’s heart was ready, God wrestled away his self-reliance, leaving him transformed physically, mentally, and spiritually. God even changed his name to Israel, marking a new identity. He entered a life guided by God’s presence, living under divine purpose rather than fear and self-interest. Through this journey of becoming, Jacob emerged as a man completely dependent on God, no longer relying on his own cunning.
Ruth: Displaced Widow to Covenant Matriarch (Ruth 1-4)
Ruth’s story begins with famine and death, leaving her, her mother-in-law Naomi, and her sister-in-law widowed. In Old Testament times, childless widows were among the most vulnerable, dependent on the generosity of others. Ruth finds herself unexpectedly in this situation when we first meet her.
We then see Ruth choose a harder path out of love for Naomi. Rather than staying in her homeland and returning to her home, where she would have had a better chance of remarriage, Ruth chooses to follow Naomi to Judah, becoming a foreigner in an unfamiliar land. In doing so, she also confesses her allegiance to Israel’s God, declaring, “Your people will be my people, and your God my God.”
Ruth’s path of becoming begins with this decision — to accept the Lord and embrace a future filled with uncertainty. In Judah, God grants Ruth favor with Boaz, who is drawn to both her circumstances and her character. Ruth works diligently in his fields, expresses gratitude for his generosity, and never acts with entitlement — despite gleaning being a provision God had established for the poor. She also listens to Naomi’s counsel, shares her blessings, and humbly places her future in Boaz’s hands.
God ultimately rewards Ruth’s faithful character. Though she would never fully grasp the magnitude of God’s plan, God weaves her into the covenant story itself, making her the great-grandmother of King David and part of the lineage leading to Jesus. Out of tragedy, God brings triumph.
Job: Self-Righteous Defender to Worshiper of God’s Mystery (Job 1-42)
Though not longest by word count, Job spans 42 chapters as one continuous and substantial narrative. It’s a story that can be read and reread — a go-to in times of suffering, reminding us that faithful people are not spared pain and that God remains present even when life feels unbearable.
The narrative begins with Job as a righteous man blessed with wealth and status. This Utopian view into his life is short-lived, as a rare glimpse into the spiritual realm reveals a conversation between God and Satan that sets in motion severe tests that drastically change Job’s life.
Perhaps the best-known story of suffering in the Bible, Job stands out as a tragic example of unimaginable and inexplicable loss. It also shows the intense questioning of God that arises from undeserved suffering. In the company of friends who mean well but only make matters worse, Job evolves from grief and despair to an increasingly self-defensive position, directly challenging God in the absence of a response.
God eventually speaks, but He never explains Job’s suffering. Instead, His discourse highlights the limits of human understanding and the vastness of divine wisdom. With His response, God brings Job to a place of humility and trust.
Job’s becoming doesn’t result merely from suffering; it comes from enduring that suffering without immediate answers. God’s silence allows Job to grow bold and self-defensive, placing him in a position to be humbled and shown God’s sovereignty. It is there that Job relinquishes his need for certainty, accepting that God is just even when His ways are hidden. Job learns to trust, fully embracing God’s mysterious and sovereign plan.
Implications for Our “Becoming” (a.k.a. “So What?”)
So what do Jacob, Ruth, and Job have in common?
While all their paths were different, they each exemplify non-linear becoming — paths of growth that were anything but predictable, involving extended seasons of uncertainty and waiting. Whether their transformation came through repentance, identity struggle, immense suffering, and/or divine redirection, none of their stories followed a simple, linear course. Instead each experienced a radical shift in who they were, shaped through growth that was often messy and uncomfortable. And each became a person whose relationship with God was strengthened as God used their struggles to dismantle false sources of security, forming in them a deeper and truer faith.
So what does this mean for us?
Ultimately, these examples of non-linear paths to growth should make us feel a little better about a less-than-stellar 2025. A difficult or disappointing 2025 does not mean wasted time. What we have walked through has shaped who we are now and is still shaping who we are becoming — even when the larger story remains hidden — because God is not finished with us yet. The same can be said for an uncertain 2026.
Conclusion
Just as spiritual and personal growth was not a straightforward upward trajectory for Jacob, Ruth, and Job, our own growth is rarely linear. It often includes detours and deep reorientations — frequently brought about through suffering or divine encounters. In this way, God accomplishes His purposes in ways we would not choose, but ultimately need for our growth.
With that perspective on 2025, here’s to 2026 being a year of faithful becoming — trusting that even the unexpected bumps along the way are part of the journey God is using to shape us, and continuing to put one foot in front of the other in faith, humility, and gratitude.