Whatever Is Excellent with Leanne Tuggle

60: Finish Strong with Purpose, Praise & Prayer

• Leanne • Season 4 • Episode 60

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The week between Christmas and New Year’s can feel like a soft landing: sweatpants, slow mornings, and a rare sense of completion. We lean into that pause and ask a bigger question—how do we finish the year well so we can begin the next aligned with God’s heart? With Scripture as our guide, we explore the joy of ending strong without striving, and the freedom to rest while still preparing our steps for what’s ahead.

We start by reframing the calendar as training for a longer race. Drawing from 2 Timothy 4, we talk about what it means to “keep the faith” when distractions multiply and itching ears chase easy answers. Then we pivot to purpose: we were made to worship and enjoy God, image-bearers restored by Christ’s coming. From there, we offer three practical anchors for the final stretch of December—purpose, praise, and prayer—each grounded in passages like Ephesians 2:10, Psalms 103/145/150, Proverbs 16:3, and Hebrews 12:1–2. You’ll hear simple, honest reflection prompts to assess drift and fruit, and encouragement to let praise become the daily soundtrack that builds trust for the year ahead.

As we close, Psalm 90 gives language for wisdom and work: teach us to number our days, establish the work of our hands. We celebrate the small victory of completion, enjoy the gift of rest, and lace up for the next lap with our eyes fixed on Jesus. If you’re craving a clear, faith-filled roadmap into the new year—one that trades pressure for presence and resolutions for reliance—this conversation will steady your heart and sharpen your focus.

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Leanne :

In just over a week from now, you will be basking in that after Christmas glow, that glorious week between Christmas and New Year's, when no one knows what day it is, and your only agenda is to wear sweatpants, sleep, and maybe eat a little bit too many cookies. And yet, before we get there, I want to give you some encouragement to consider and reflect on. Personally, I've always loved the exhilaration of completion. That satisfaction that comes with finishing a job, a project, a goal, or a book. Getting to check it off your list, right? There is this feeling of triumph that is worth celebrating, even if just for a moment. Laundry cleaned and put away, an empty kitchen sink, your inbox clear, and all the Christmas presents wrapped and under the tree. We all know that the laundry is going to need to be done again, and the sink will be full of dishes after your next meal. Your email will need to be sorted tomorrow, and Christmas will come again next year. But just for a minute, there is completion. If you follow me on Instagram, then you likely know that I post almost daily some encouragement to embrace excellence. And on Fridays, I like to remind you to make the most of the last day of the week before the weekend so that you can really enjoy and delight in that rest-filled Sabbath. And right now, we are in the yearly equivalent of that last day, best day philosophy. You are in the home stretch of 2025, and a brand new year is just on the horizon. And it seemed like a good thing to do, a good thing to check off the list before I turned 30. I wasn't, however, prepared for all of the recommended like little races that you're supposed to do before the big race, all those little 5Ks, or or even the longer races or longer runs that are recommended each week to prepare. And I remember looking at my husband in shock, saying, You mean I have to run more than once? I think about this experience every time we get close to the end of the year. If our life is like one big giant marathon, then each year is kind of like those little 5ks that lead up to the big life race. And each of those little races is designed to prepare us for whatever comes next. And I do want to be ready for what God has planned for me, don't you? Paul talks about his race in 2 Timothy 4:7. He says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. So while Paul wrote these words, actually just before he died, at the end of his life, I think we can still be encouraged to run well and finish strong, to be able to someday hear those words, well done, good and faithful servant. That's the reward that I will keep running towards. So as we get closer to the end of the year, I want to encourage you to finish this year well, so that we can start the next one aligned with God's heart and mission. How, you might ask? Well, thankfully, Paul provided some insight to that question just before he spoke of finishing his race. In 2 Timothy 4, 2 through 5, he says, preach the word, be ready in and out of season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. They will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. Right here, Paul lets us know what we can still be doing, even here at the end of the year. Now is the time to reflect and then look towards a new year with our intentions clear and our eyes fixed on God and the work he has set aside for each of us, so that we can be ready in this season and in the next. Practically speaking, what does it look like for you and me at the end of December? What does this look like to finish the year well? I can think of three things to help us and prepare our hearts and minds for the coming year with purpose, praise, and prayer.

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A.

Leanne :

W. Tozer says that the purpose of mankind is to worship God and enjoy him forever. This is our entire purpose. The reason we exist in the first place. God created humans to be different from all of creation. Genesis 1, 26 and 27 says, Then God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him, male and female, he created them. Only mankind is made in the image of God, made from the overflow of love that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit already enjoy. We were made to worship God, our Creator, and to enjoy being with Him forever. Now we all know how the story plays out. We know that sin entered the world and our purpose was lost in the midst of rebellion and unbelief. We chose to worship creation more than our Creator. And today we still struggle with understanding our purpose when really it isn't all that complicated. Every year I find myself wrestling with my purpose and what am I supposed to be doing? I think we all struggle with this to some degree. It's why we make New Year's resolutions and why we vow to eat less sweets or exercise more or read more books. We want to run our race well. This reminder of our true purpose is important always, but especially right now as we get ready to celebrate Christmas. The reason for this joyous celebration is because God's plans were not thwarted that day in the garden when the serpent tempted Eve, and then she and Adam chose disobedience. Sending Jesus to be our Savior was always God's plan A. He always knew that we would fall short and need to be rescued. Christmas is all about the fulfillment of his promise to send his one and only Son. Jesus restores our purpose. Because of Jesus, we can continue to worship God and enjoy him forever. It is my hope that you and I can cling to this truth in these last few weeks of December. May we step into the new year with the assurance of who we are in Christ and truly know our purpose as his daughters. And our purpose isn't just a calling, it is obedience in the small and faithfulness in the ordinary. Ephesians 2, 10 says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. The end of the year is a wonderful time to ask these three questions. Where have I walked in God's purposes this year? Where have I drifted? What fruit has he produced in me? In light of the eternity that we get to spend with God as believers, praise should come naturally. What a joy-filled time to praise our King. And yet, in the midst of all of the packages and bows and cookies and concerts, it's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and forget that praise is our gift to God. I love that song, The Little Drummer Boy, even though I know it's a fictitious story, but it's one of my favorite Christmas songs because I love that it's just the simple gift of playing his drum for Jesus that was all he needed to bring. Your praise is a sweet aroma offered up to God. It is your worship and thanksgiving for the gift of Jesus. He has done everything for us, and our praise and worship is what he loves most from us in return. He doesn't need our praise, but he knows in his infinite wisdom that we need him to be the one to receive our praise. He created us to worship, and no one else can receive our worship with the same humility and gentleness and love. And praising our gracious and loving God strengthens our faith for his future guidance. We know we can trust him because of his past faithfulness. Think about all the ways God has shown up for you in this last year. Think of this as a way of remembering his goodness. Maybe you could read a different psalm of praise as a daily meditation during these last couple of weeks of December. Psalm 103, Psalm 145, and even Psalm 150 are all wonderful psalms of praise. And finally, in these last few weeks of December, choose to spend time in prayer. Pray about what lies ahead, your fears, your worries, your joys, pain. Pray about all of it. Surrender it to Jesus. Pray for discernment and to know the truth of God's word even more clearly in the coming year. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you towards the things that need your time and attention in 2026. You don't need a word for the new year as much as you need his word for your year. Prayer places Jesus at the center of your plans and guards us from self-reliance. Proverbs 16:3 says, Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. Now, this verse isn't intended to be like ultimate Santa, naughty or niceless, or even a transactional approach to prayer. What this verse means is that through a deep and abiding relationship with God, you invite his wisdom, strength, and correction into everything that you say and do. Or, if you want to put it another way, Proverbs 3, 5 and 6 says, Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understandings. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. So pray for your new year. Pray about the things that you need to keep doing so that you can continue to worship God and enjoy Him always. Pray about the things you need to stop doing, because they turn you away from listening to the truth. And pray about what you need to start doing so that you can finish this year well and begin again with renewed endurance. Hebrews 12, 1 and 2 says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings too closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. These verses give us the roadmap for our race. We can finish this year well because we have our eyes fixed on Jesus. Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. We may not know what is in store for us next year, but we will keep running our race in faith as women of excellence on a mission to worship God and enjoy Him forever. Well, this year comes to an end. We get to enjoy that feeling of completion. We can close the book on 2025, and we can even take a moment to breathe deeply and celebrate. We can enjoy a week of sweatpants and bottomless cookies, and at the very least, we can rest. So that we can lace up our running shoes and be ready for what comes in the new year. We've got more kingdom work to do. To close this episode and this season of Whatever is Excellent, I want to read a portion of Psalm 90 to you. This psalm captures a heart of reflection and longing for God's presence, and it is a beautiful way to wrap up our year, too. Psalm 90, verses 12 through 17. So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord, how long? Have pity on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands upon us. Yes, establish the work of our hands. Thank you so much for your support and for listening to season four of Whatever is Excellent. I pray that you have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year. And I look forward to beginning a new season with you. Season five of Whatever is Excellent will kick off on January 6th. So mark your calendars. And until then, my friends, know that I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.