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The Day After Christmas · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:00
  Welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin. This is Ariel Santana.
• 0:04
  Can you believe I'm seven years old already? I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
• 0:10
  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana.
• 0:16
  Hello everyone, and welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin.
• 0:21
  My name is Angel, and I'd like to welcome you in to a Christmas,
• 0:25
  the day after Christmas, I should say, special.
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  Many of us right now are feeling the effects of the day after Christmas because it feels different.
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  The decorations are still up. The lights are still glowing, but the noise is gone.
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  The presents are opened. The food is mostly gone.
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  And for many of us, reality is quietly knocking at the door.
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  Some people wake Some wake up feeling tired, some wake up feeling empty,
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  and some wake up feeling revealed that it's all over.
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  And here's the truth. We don't always say out loud the day after Christmas can be emotionally heavy.
• 1:04
  Because Christmas builds us up with expectations.
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  Expectations of joy. Expectations of togetherness.
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  Expectation of peace. And when the day passes, we're left asking, now what?
• 1:18
  For some, Christmas is wonderful, and it was wonderful.
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  For others, it was hard. For many, it was a mix of both.
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  And today, being December 26th, we're standing in the space between.
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  Between celebration and routine. Between reflection and responsibility.
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  Between what was and what comes next.
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  And that's where I want to meet you today.
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  Here's a scripture I want to share with you. It's from Philippians chapter 1, verses 6.
• 1:50
  Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it
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  on the completion until the day of Jesus Christ.
• 2:01
  That verse reminds us of something powerful on a day like today.
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  God didn't stop working when Christmas ended. The miracle of Christmas wasn't meant for one day.
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  It wasn't meant for one season. And it certainly wasn't meant to disappear when the calendar turns.
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  What God started in you this year, well, he's not done with it yet.
• 2:24
  Let's talk honestly just for a moment. After the holidays, people often feel emotionally drained,
• 2:31
  spiritually quiet, financially stressed, physically exhausted,
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  and sometimes the silence after Christmas feels louder than the celebration itself.
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  You may already be thinking about the bills that are coming,
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  the responsibilities waiting, the goals you didn't meet this year,
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  or the year ahead that feels uncertain.
• 2:55
  And now we begin hearing, well, we're hearing it everywhere.
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  And that is, Happy New Year, or the new year, the new you.
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  Because 2026, the countdown is now officially on.
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  Time to reset. But let me gently say this to you. You don't need to push past December 26.
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  You don't need to have everything figured out today. You don't need to reinvent yourself overnight.
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  And you don't need to pretend you're okay if you're not.
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  Faith doesn't rush healing. Faith allows reflection.
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  The countdown to 2026 has technically begun.
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  But spiritually, this is still a sacred pause.
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  A pause to ask, what did this year teach me?
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  Where did I grow? Where did I struggle? Where did God carry me when I couldn't carry myself?
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  Because before we move forward, we need to honor what we've walked through.
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  Some of you listening today made it through a loss.
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  Some made it through illness.
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  Some made it through heartbreak. and some are still standing,
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  even though you don't know how.
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  And if that's you, hear this clearly.
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  Surviving is still a progress. As we move toward a new year,
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  expectations will start to rise again.
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  But instead of asking, what do I need to change?
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  Maybe the better question is, what do I need to carry forward? Carry forward.
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  The love you gave, the patience you learned, the faith that held you together when things fell apart.
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  Because God isn't asking you to be perfect in the next year.
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  He's asking you to be present and just like Philippines reminds us.
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  I should say Philippians, just like Philippians reminds us, God finishes what he started.
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  That means your story isn't over. Your healing isn't over. Your purpose isn't over.
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  Not today, not tomorrow, and not 2026.
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  So on this day after Christmas, take a breath, sit with the quiet,
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  honor your emotions, thank God for your carrying you this far.
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  And remember, Christmas doesn't end yesterday.
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  The light still shines, the hope still stands, and the love still moves forward through you.
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  And as always, my friends, don't forget that you matter.
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  And most importantly, to never forget, to have faith, let it begin.
• 5:45
  Merry Christmas, and let the New Year's countdown of 2026 begin.