A New Year, A New Knowing: Your Story Matters

By Agatha Caballero-Quinones

There is something sacred about the turning of a year—not because of the calendar itself, but because transition has a way of inviting truth to rise to the surface. A new year whispers, “Daughter, look again. Look deeper. Look inward. Look upward.” It is an opportunity not to reinvent yourself, but to truly know yourself. To know whose you are. To know that your story matters—even the chapters you wish you could tear out.

As we step into this new year, I want to take you on a journey through Scripture, through the life of Mary Magdalene, and through the hidden corners of my own story. I believe with everything in me that this is the year God wants to reveal the truth about you:

You are not what happened to you.

You are not what you did.

You are not what they called you.

You are who He calls you.

You see, Mary Magdalene is one of the most powerful portraits of redemption in the Bible. I resonate not with what happened to her, but with how she was made to feel. I resonate with the fact that she was bound, oppressed (Luke), carried shame, and bore labels. As part of a family where you always felt like you were the topic of conversation—because everyone else wanted to hide their issues—it was hard not to try to be perfect in life. I tried to control every aspect of what was going on… yet not really.

I resonate with Mary Magdalene not because she was perfect, but because she was seen by the One who matters—Jesus! Finding Jesus was the best thing that happened to me, and when I look back, I’m so grateful He was there all along, just waiting for me. You see, man will call you out of your name (I know all about that). Man will remind you of your struggles—of what happened, the should-haves, the could-haves, your past. But when He—Jesus—calls you by your name, the truth is, you are:

Not a “broken woman.”

Not “the one with issues.”

Not “the one who should’ve known better.”

Just like Mary—the name God gave her before the world tried to rename her—your name is ________. (Fill your name in there, “Agatha.”)

This is the heart of Jesus: He restores your identity before He assigns your purpose.

He heals the soul before He sends the feet to move.

He calls you by your name—your assigned name—before He calls you to the mission.

For years, I lived behind the walls I built with my own hands. I lived in anger, distancing myself from people. The walls were made of “I’m fine” and “I don’t need anyone.” I thought guarding myself was strength. I thought silence was safety. I thought isolation was protection—and it’s how I raised my children.

The truth is, I was hiding, and nobody saw me. I was hurting. I was hiding in shame, hiding the parts of me I didn’t want anyone to see. I grew to live out of guilt for things that didn’t even belong to me. What I didn’t realize was that I was keeping healing out as well. I didn’t want anyone to know the things I carried—the mistakes I made knowingly and unknowingly, the trauma, the choices that hindered and hurt me yet benefited others. Don’t we often say yes to others when we really want to say no?

Let me ask you this: Have you developed a belief that you are too complicated, too damaged, too broken for anyone to understand? That is called a complex syndrome—and that is not yours. Jesus understands. He knew the suffering, the tears, the weight on my chest, and He knew I had been trying to fix myself.

Guess what… He waited.

Patiently.

Tenderly.

Faithfully.

Why? Because He knew that one day I would stop running from Him and finally run to Him. Amen!

Go into this new year knowing that the freedom you need and the peace you need can only come from Jesus. I’m not just saying this—I’m living it.

You see, I no longer hide from Him. I wake up and tell Jesus what’s on my heart. And if I tell you I don’t tell Him when I’m mad sometimes—I do. I tell Him how sad my heart feels and about the disappointment I feel toward others, even when I know that’s not how we’re supposed to feel. But I encourage you: if you get in the habit of taking it all to Him first, He will save you from taking the wrong things to others. I hope you caught that.

This last quarter, I had to sit back and see things for what they are—see people for who they are—even when my expectations were high. I realized I can’t do anything in my own strength because I am weak. I am not God. I also realized that as I let Him reveal truth to me, He was healing me.

He used me and positioned me in places that challenged my inner self. What I am realizing as I continue to walk this journey is that I am qualified to do whatever He aligns me to do. He will send me and empower me to stand in the gap for others—hence why I stand by “Faith 4 Her.” I know what an unhealed woman looks like. And because I’ve been doing the work—and it will never stop—I’ve opened myself to let God use me to love other women.

A healed woman heals women.

Seen women see women.

Loved women love other women easily.

Sisters, hear my whole heart when I say this: I can have faith for you. Not because I am stronger than you, better than you, or because I have it all together—but because I know what it feels like to be emotionally at the bottom. I know what it feels like when someone stands in the gap for you, when someone believes in you when you can’t yet believe in yourself. I know how important it is to reflect Jesus’ love for one another through each other.

I share this with all of you reading:

I have faith in you and for you.

Faith that you will rise.

Faith that you will heal.

Faith that you will break cycles.

Faith that you will walk in freedom.

Faith that you will know who you are.

Faith that you will know whose you are.

Because your story matters.

Your healing matters.

Your voice matters.

Your life matters.

As we step into this new year, remember: it’s not about becoming a “new you,” but finally meeting the real you. As you prepare to go back to the gym, start a new reading app, and set new goals—make your first goal being with Him. Let Him be the first thing you do every day so you’re reminded that God designed you, calls you by name, and redeemed you.

I encourage you to do the work, because 2026 is the year of identity, redemption, restoration, sisterhood, Jesus, salvation, faith, and Holy Spirit power.

Stop hiding.

Stop shrinking.

Stop apologizing for what is not yours.

Stop believing the lies of the enemy.

Stop carrying what Jesus already paid for.

This year, step into the fullness of who you are in Him—Chosen.

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV):

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

This is your identity.

This is your truth.

This is your inheritance.

As you step into this new year, I want to leave you with one deep, soul-searching question—one that only you and the Holy Spirit can answer:

What would your life look like if you finally believed what Jesus has always known about you?

Sit with that. Pray over that. Let the Holy Spirit speak—because sister, this is your year. Your moment. Your becoming. Your unveiling.

And Jesus—your Redeemer, your Restorer, your Savior, your Strength—is calling you by name.

Amen.