In November, it was my turn to give the talk to the group of young adults that meets on Thursday nights for Friends for Life (FFL). FFL is a mixed bag of young and older people who gather for the purpose of growing in our faith and having fun while doing so.

My message that night focused on Peter and John’s encounter with a lame man at the Temple gate one afternoon. I highlighted the point that the lame man had been taken to the Temple gate daily for years, hoping that people who passed by would give him some money.

I then shared how, after years of working as a YoungLife staff worker, I had grown comfortable in my job and never thought of leaving it. I pointed out how the lame man had likely also grown comfortable asking people for spare change. Even as a beggar, he probably did not see himself changing his situation, because he had grown accustomed to asking for money. And why is that? Because change is often hard and uncomfortable for people, and that is true even for those with a disability.

Yet that afternoon, when Peter and John came along, they told the man they had no money to give him. What they did have, however, was something they could offer—and what they gave him was not what he wanted or expected. The lame man did not ask to be healed; he asked only for money.

The story does not tell us anything about the lame man’s thought process, but we can imagine that Peter and John reached out and offered him a hand. In doing so, the man was healed and restored. A friend once pointed out that the lame man’s willingness to take the hands of Peter and John revealed his willingness to take a risk. And because he took that risk, he received something far greater than the money he had collected that day—or on any other day—which was healing.

The point I ended on was this: while change is difficult and can be frightening at times, taking a chance and reaching out can lead to unexpected blessings in your life. As we enter the year 2026—less than 24 hours old at the time of this writing—I hope that you and I can take some new risks. Because who knows? 2026 may be your best year yet.