THE COVENANT

January 12, 2026

When Everything is Stripped Away

“Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

This isn’t just a question I’ve been thinking about — it’s something I’ve lived.

When my family and I made the decision to come to a new country, we didn’t just change our address. We left almost everything behind. Familiar places. Financial security. Comfort. The sense of knowing how life worked. We started again — from scratch — with very little that looked solid on the outside.

And in that season, a quiet question surfaced:
Who am I when everything I relied on is gone?

There was no room to hide behind possessions or routine. No safety net of what had once made life feel predictable. What remained was faith — sometimes steady, sometimes trembling — and the honest reality of who I was without all the things that once defined my sense of security.

It was uncomfortable. Humbling. At times, frightening.

But it was also revealing.

I learned that so much of what I thought I needed was actually just what made me feel in control. When those things were stripped away, I was forced to face myself — my fears, my resilience, my dependence on God. And I realized how deeply God had been carrying me all along, even when I didn’t have the words to say it.

Starting over showed me this truth: possessions can give comfort, but they cannot give identity. Security built on things will always feel fragile. But security built on God — on His presence and promises — holds, even when everything else shifts.

We didn’t walk into certainty. We walked into trust.

And day by day, God proved faithful. Not always in abundance, but always in presence. Not always in answers, but always in provision — sometimes quietly, sometimes unexpectedly.

If you’ve ever had a season where life stripped things back — whether by choice or circumstance — you’re not alone. It changes you. It exposes what you cling to. But it can also deepen your faith in ways comfort never could.

Without everything we once had, we were still loved.
Still guided.
Still held.

And I’m learning that if everything were taken again, God would still be enough.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5
“The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1

Luke 12:15

Reflection

Have you ever experienced a season where life stripped things back?
What did that season reveal about what you trust most?
How has God met you when familiar comforts were gone?

As you breathe in, whisper: “You are my security.”
As you breathe out, whisper: “I am held.”

Closing Prayer

God, You walked with me when everything familiar was left behind.
You saw the fear, the uncertainty, and the quiet courage it took to begin again.
Thank You for proving that my security has never been in what I own, but in You.

Help me — and those reading this — trust You when life feels stripped down and uncertain.
Teach us to rest in Your presence when comfort is gone and answers are few.
Remind us that we are never starting from nothing when we start with You.

As I go out today, let my confidence come from knowing who You are —
faithful, present, and enough.
Amen