A few weeks before December 25, my taste buds suddenly woke up like a busted pipe, flooding my mind with thoughts of Jamaican homemade ham. You know the kind: big, beautiful, honey-glazed, sticky, dressed up with pineapples and cherries like it’s going to a wedding reception.
There was only one problem.
I did not know how to make it.
My usual reliable source was booked and busy, so I casually told my husband, “I think I’m going to try making one.” That was his cue to turn into a full-time social media ham evangelist. From that day until Christmas day, he sent me every ham reel known to mankind: slow motion glazing, thermometers, timelines, techniques.
And just like that…I got intimidated.
Still, my mouth watered.
On Christmas Eve, because I am nothing if not a last-minute Patty, I called my sister-in-law and announced, “I want to make a ham.”
Her response?
“At this last minute? Why don’t you just go to Honey Baked Ham and buy one?”
Absolutely not.
She reminded me (accurately) that I didn’t know how and that it takes hours. I said “Okay” … but my feet had other plans. As I approached the supermarket fridge, there they were again, the ham legs. Big. Juicy. Calling my name.
I imagined empty hog pens and dinner tables glowing with beautifully dressed hams. My mouth started watering again. So naturally, I called back Sis.
“I still want to make it.”
She laughed so hard. Then she said, “Alright, let me walk you through what to buy.”
That’s when things got interesting in the grocery store. No cherries. Only sugar-free pineapples.
Disappointed, I was ready to quit. “You know what? Next year.”
And that’s when Sis said something that shifted everything:
“Shyann, you are a strong woman. You’ve written books. You preach the gospel. You pray for people. You have built successful teams, and you’re going to let a hog conquer you?”
That became personal.
In that moment, a familiar scripture rose up in me:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Not some things.
Not just the things I already know how to do.
All things.
So, I thought, no hog will conquer me.
I bought what I could, drove to another store, completed my Conquer the Hog Checklist, and the next morning, bright and early, I called Sis again.
Step by step. Hour by hour.
Four hours later…
I did it! I conquered the hog.
The ham leg was beautifully done. And yes, very tasty. I stood there admiring my work, and that’s when it hit me:
Next year, I will conquer some firsts.
I will conquer some hard things.
I will stop hiding behind “easy store-bought” and start doing some things myself.
As we step into 2026, many of us are standing in front of things that feel intimidating, new callings, unfamiliar territory, big dreams, difficult conversations, and assignments we’ve never done before.
It’s easy to say:
- “I don’t know how.”
- “It’s too late.”
- “Someone else does it better.”
- “I’ll try next year.”
But Philippians 4:13 reminds us that our confidence isn’t in our experience, it’s in Christ’s strength. If God trusted you with the desire, He trusts you with the capacity to learn.
Don’t let fear disguise itself as wisdom.
Don’t let convenience rob you of growth.
And don’t let a hog-level obstacle stop a God-called person.
2026 “CONQUER IT” CHALLENGE
Write it down and carry it forward! Before the new year begins, write it down.
List the things you already know God has been nudging you to do, the ones you’ve delayed or avoided.
Choose one and take the first step.
Don’t leave this in January, carry it into the year. Each time you conquer one thing, go back to the list and choose the next.
When fear shows up, answer it with truth:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
By the end of 2026, may you be able to say: I didn’t just start strong, I kept conquering.
This is the year you stop postponing…
And start overcoming.
PRAYER
Father God,
Thank You for bringing us into a new year with breath, purpose, and promise. Forgive us for the times we chose what was easy instead of what would grow us.
As we step into 2026, help us truly believe Your Word, that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Give us courage to try, humility to learn, and perseverance to finish. Strengthen our hands for the work, our minds for strategy, and our hearts for obedience.
We declare that no fear, no intimidation, and no small obstacle will conquer what You have already empowered.
In your name we pray, Jesus.
Amen.
Shyann Anderson has been saved for some 10 years. A Jamaican, she is a medical device sales executive overseas; and between family, church, and work, she has also found time to author the devotional, “Light for the Journey.”
