Our Most Popular Issue of 2025 - Anchored in Hope
Share This Free Issue and Spread the Encouragement
Dear Friends,
At Just Between Us, everything we do is rooted in our mission: to encourage and equip women to live lives of faith anchored in Christ. As we step into 2026, we know many of us are still carrying pieces of the year behind us—the hard moments, the unanswered questions, and the ways God quietly met us along the way.
One issue captured that shared experience more than any other. From Trauma to Triumph—Finding Hope became our most-read issue of 2025, and it’s easy to see why. Its honest reflection on struggle, encouragement through God’s promises, and reminders of hope in Christ, resonated deeply across our JBU community. It reminded us that God is present, faithful, and at work even when the path feels uncertain.
That’s why we’ve unlocked this entire issue—so it can be freely shared. This is encouragement meant to move beyond our inboxes and into the lives of women who need to be reminded that hope is still solid, still sure, still found in Jesus. Lisa Elliott’s story shows us how God meets us in the middle of pain and brings purpose from it. Shelly Esser equips us to push back against discouragement with truth. Connie Fink lifts our eyes beyond the present moment to the eternal promises that shape how we live today.
As we move forward into this year, our prayer is simple, that this issue would strengthen your faith, and that you would pass it on. Because hope in Christ is not meant to be held quietly; it’s meant to be shared.
Here’s to a year anchored in the unshakable hope of Christ—one that carries us forward with courage, peace, and joy.
Encouraging you in God’s truth,
Know someone who needs encouragement? Share this issue with them and help spread the hope of Christ.
From Trauma to Triumph | Lisa Elliott
Lisa shares her journey of facing a year filled with trials and uncertainty. Through reflection and prayer, she discovers how God transforms pain into triumph and teaches us to anchor our hope in Him, no matter the season.
When Discouragement Comes Knocking | Shelly Esser
Discouragement can feel relentless, but Shelly reminds us that God’s promises are stronger than our doubts. Learn practical ways to send discouragement packing and rest in the comfort of His truth.
Now…Then | Connie Fink
Connie helps us connect the “now” of our daily struggles with the “then” of eternity. By keeping our hearts fixed on God’s promises, we can live today with perspective, purpose, and hope that stretches beyond our present circumstances.
Also:
From Trauma to Triumph
Finding Hope.
By: Lisa Elliott
I was feeling the effects of 2024. It had been quite a year; full of transition, tears, and trauma. Or, at least that's the way I was looking at it. Typically, known for being a cup-half-full kind of girl, suddenly all I seemed to be able to see was my cup-half-empty.
Somewhere along the way, I had lost my hope. Or perhaps, I had simply misplaced it. Rather than focusing on the God of hope, I was putting my hope in circumstances and people. My thinking was skewed and my perspective warped.
The apostle Paul says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (Jas. 1:2). Nonetheless, as I considered all we’d been through, it was hard to be very joyful about the year coming to a close. Much less, be very hopeful about the year ahead. I identified with what the Israelites must have felt when they were encamped between the Egyptian army in hot pursuit behind them and the daunting Red Sea ahead of them.
Reflecting on a Challenging Year
My husband and I had a good discussion about it all one day as we approached the new year. We went for a long winter’s walk and I humbly disclosed my self-doubts in lieu of the past as well as my fears, anxieties, and uncertainties of the future that lay ominously ahead.
When he asked me what word I would use to describe 2024. I used the word “trauma.” He understood. Thankfully, he knew me too well to leave me in my “woe is me” downward spiral state. We decided to warm up with a hot drink at a favorite coffee shop in town. Then, together we walked through the entire year. Month by month we listed the events that took place to give context to my negative and emotional response to each one.
A Series of Life-Altering Events
Our year began with a retirement announcement which, if I'm honest, created some sadness and disappointment in our ministry realm. In February, we welcomed our newest grandson into the family. However, all did not go quite as planned when our daughter-in-law ended up in the ICU for a couple of weeks, calling upon me to offer care, I gladly gave. March had us responding to an S.O.S. call from our youngest daughter at the scene of an accident she'd been involved in. Someone coming at her, from the other direction on the highway, had fallen asleep at the wheel and came close to hitting her head on. April presented us with the slew of emotion that came with the culmination of forty-one years in pastoral ministry. May, June, and July had us decluttering and sorting and packing and readying ourselves for a big move. After months of upheaval, in August we headed down the highway for our seven hour trek. Half way to our destination, our moving truck landed on a soft shoulder that gave way and the truck landed on its side in a ditch.
It all seemed to go all downhill from there. September to December presented all kinds of troubling ways to bury me beneath the weight of it all. Yes, there were “trials of many kinds.” However, the most troubling of them all was that I felt trapped by them.
Finding God in the Midst of Trials
As we talked, my husband patiently and graciously listened before correcting and redirecting my thinking to help me find a different perspective—a more positive one. He challenged me to turn my thinking from trauma to triumph. Rather than looking at the events, he guided me to look for God in each situation. As I reconsidered each traumatic event it became evident to me that “God [was] our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). He showed up in profound ways to: protect, rescue, guide, provide, and remind us of His love, care, and personal attention to the details of our lives.
It occurred to me that without trials in our life, we can’t fully receive nor appreciate God’s comfort, as Paul speaks of in 2 Cor. 1:2-4. In verse 9, Paul goes on to give me the perspective I needed, “Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.”
Anchoring My Hope in Christ
And this is where my word for 2025 came in. On Him I have set my Hope.
Have you lost hope? Could you use a change of perspective? Let this, my prayer entering into 2025, be yours today, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).
Lisa Elliott is a speaker and award-winning author of The Ben Ripple, Dancing in the Rain, and A Ministry Survival Guide. In addition to 40 years as a pastor’s wife, she continues to touch hearts through her ministry, “Straight from the Heart.” Since the death of their son, she and her husband also have a ministry to the grieving including conducting retreats for grieving parents. She is a mother of four, Nana to six and lives in Ontario, Canada. Visit her at: lisaelliottstraightfromtheheart.wordpress.com.
When Discouragement Comes Knocking
God Empowers Us to Send Discouragement Packing.
By: Shelly Esser
Discouragement can be relentless, pounding at the door of our hearts until it feels like we can’t go on. It drains our energy, clouds our perspective, and tempts us to believe the lies of the enemy: “God doesn’t care,” “You’ll never make it through this.” But discouragement doesn’t have to win. When we filter our struggles through the truth of God’s Word, we’re reminded of who He is—our Comforter, Provider, and Refuge—and we find the strength to send discouragement packing. How do we combat the lies and reclaim our peace? Discover how God’s promises transform our thinking and renew our hope.
Now…Then
Finding Hope Beyond Today.
By: Connie Fink
Have you ever considered how the “now” of life connects to the “then” of eternity? As we face the challenges of today, our hope grows sweeter when we look ahead to our true Home. Christ gives us hope now because of what’s promised for then: joy unending, peace eternal, and renewal of all things. By keeping our hearts and minds fixed on what’s above, we can live with urgency, purpose, and the assurance that every struggle we face is temporary in light of eternity.
Making God Our Anchor in Hope
Many of us are still carrying the echoes of last year—moments of joy, struggle, and everything in between. Some days may feel heavy with uncertainty, while others feel like an opportunity to start fresh. Wherever you are, remember this: hope is not a fleeting feeling or wishful thinking—it is a steady anchor rooted in Christ.
This issue reminds us that even in the midst of trials, God is at work.
Take a moment this week to pause and breathe:
Reflect on where God has been faithful in your past.
Notice His presence in the small, ordinary moments of your life.
Anchor your hope in the One who never changes, never fails, and always keeps His promises.
As you do, write down:
One way you saw God at work in your life, no matter how small.
One promise from Scripture that encourages your heart.
Over time, these reflections can become a record of God’s faithfulness—a tangible reminder that hope is alive and active. On challenging days, flip back through the pages and see how God has carried you, strengthened you, and brought you peace.
Through this practice, may you discover that hope is not just a response to circumstances—it’s a posture of trust that carries you forward, whatever the season holds.
Bible Verse:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
- Romans 15:13
Hope is both a gift and a practice: as we trust God, joy and peace grow, overflowing into every part of our lives.
Prayer of the Week
Father, thank You for being the God of hope, for carrying us through every trial, and for the promise that Your faithfulness never fails. As we enter this new season, help us to anchor our hearts in You—not in circumstances, outcomes, or our own strength.
May we live 2026 confident in Your steadfast love, courageous in our faith, and joyful in Your care. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Know someone who needs encouragement? Share this issue with them and help spread the hope of Christ.