It's Never Too Late to Celebrate!

by Michele Husfelt on January 5, 2026

I recently saw a post on Facebook that stopped me in my tracks. A friend was celebrating an anniversary not of a marriage or a job, but of healing. Many years ago, she walked through a painful, life-altering season. God met her there, carried her through, and brought restoration in ways she never imagined. So she marked the moment publicly, offering thanks for how far God had brought her.

But tucked among the many congratulatory comments was a response that differed greatly from the others: It’s been so many years. Do you think it’s time to let go of the past and move on?

That question lingered with me long after I read it. Why do we assume gratitude has an expiration date? Why do we believe that celebration should fade with time, as if God’s faithfulness grows less meaningful the longer we live with it?

Scripture tells a very different story.

Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly calls His people to remember. He knows how easily we forget, not just our pain, but also His provision. Over and over again, He reminds His people to look back and recall what He has done.

The Israelites were commanded to remember how God delivered them from Egypt. When they crossed the Jordan River, God instructed them to build a memorial of stones, not just for that moment, but so future generations could ask, What do these stones mean? and hear the story of God’s faithfulness again and again. Remembrance was never meant to be temporary.

Jesus carried this theme forward. On the night before His crucifixion, He broke bread and said, Do this in remembrance of Me. He didn’t say to remember only once or until it became familiar. He invited His followers into a lifelong practice of remembering, because remembrance fuels worship.

As women, we understand seasons. We understand growth, healing, and the slow work of God in our lives. Healing doesn’t always arrive all at once. Sometimes it unfolds over years, layer by layer. When we celebrate an anniversary of healing, we aren’t stuck in the past, we are acknowledging the goodness of God that carried us forward.

Imagine if we placed time limits on biblical miracles. Imagine telling the Israelites to stop talking about the Red Sea because it had been too long. Imagine suggesting we move on from the resurrection because it happened centuries ago. It sounds absurd, yet we sometimes apply that logic to personal testimonies.

Celebration is not regression. Gratitude is not weakness. Remembering is not living in the past; it is grounding us in truth.

Our stories matter. When we speak openly about what God has done, we give other women permission to hope. Someone scrolling past a post about healing may be quietly praying for their own breakthrough. Your remembrance could be the encouragement they need to keep believing.

There is no biblical precedent for limiting gratitude. God’s kindness does not expire. His mercy does not lose its power with time. If He healed you, restored you, rescued you, or redeemed a broken chapter of your story, I encourage you to celebrate that for the rest of your life.

As you enter this new year, remember boldly. Celebrate freely. Speak of God’s goodness often.

There is no time limit on gratitude, and no expiration date on God's faithfulness.