Disband 2025 'immediately'?

It’s the end of October, and somehow it feels like we’ve lived through three mini years crammed into one month. Some mornings, I wake up slightly confused, half-convinced I’m trapped in a lucid dream called 2025: The Sequel No One Asked For.

With the end of October comes that familiar annual guest: year-end fatigue. The uninvited friend who arrives early, eats all your mental snacks, and refuses to leave. Honestly, I think mine checked in sometime around August.

The State of the Nation (and My Patience)

If you live in South Africa, you’ve probably lost count of how many plot twists our politics can deliver in one fiscal quarter. This year, the saga stars KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial commissioner, General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who, back in July, opened what can only be described as a can of worms.

In one press briefing, he gave us a rare peek into what’s been quietly festering inside the South African Police Service. It’s been dramatic, to say the least. If you’ve missed the show, grab some popcorn and catch Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh’s excellent summary below.

Then came October, and with it, our Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, who appeared before parliament’s ad hoc committee to expand on his disbandment decision of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). He sent the directive out on New Year’s Eve, no less. While the rest of us were clinking glasses, he was clinking policies. His official instruction? “Disband the PKTT immediately.”

But then he added a twist worthy of a philosophy lecture: apparently, “immediately” doesn’t actually mean “right now.” Thirty-three years on this earth, and I’ve just learned that English is, in fact, interpretive dance. You can watch more on this below.

When Life Hits Pause

While the country was disbanding things “immediately-but-not-immediately,” life hit me with its own plot twist: my dad had a stroke.

It was terrifying. Watching someone you love fight for each breath forces you to see how fragile and precious life really is. But that week, as strange as it sounds, turned out to be one of the best of my life.

Because amid the fear, God showed up in the most tangible ways:

• As the stroke happened, I called my friend (sister) Jessica, who is studying to be a paramedic, and then I called our family friend Eric. They (including Jess’ mom and dad) were of great assistance in such a stressful time.

• Dad was discharged from hospital after a week.

• I grew closer to Jesus. From the time the stroke happened, and throughout the week, Jesus taught me to lean on him completely. I experienced the best love and care from him and enjoyed spending time reading my Bible and talking to him.

• Jesus is King of kings and in control of everything. It is quite easy to know that and get used to that when things are comfortable, but when you are witnessing your loved one fighting for every breath, that is when you truly come face to face with the brevity of life and you see that there is nothing you own, there is nothing you can do, and nothing you can say to add to the length of one’s life. God is always in control, and as painful as it is to know that in a very stressful situation, it is also good for one’s soul to be reminded of that, and to put one’s trust where it should always be…in Jesus.

• The support from our church family, family and friends has been beautiful. The Lord has surrounded our family with such loving and caring people.

When everything you rely on crumbles, routines, plans, even your sense of control, you learn who’s really holding things together. Spoiler: it’s not you. It’s Jesus.

In that moment, I realised how often we treat our faith in the Lord as something decorative, a pretty frame for a comfortable life. But when the storm hits, you discover it’s not decoration; it’s the foundation.

Jesus isn’t just King when things are calm. He’s King especially when they’re not.

Lessons From the Edge of the Year

If you’re limping toward December with caffeine for blood and patience on back order, here’s a little checklist for the weary:

• Be grateful you’ve made it this far, that alone is grace.

• At your year-end function, maybe skip the extra glass of “liquid honesty.” There’s still life after that party and you still have to face your colleagues at the office.

• Check out my Year-End Fatigue Guide (download it for free), it’s designed to help you keep your communication clear even when your brain is buffering.

• Most importantly, put your trust in Jesus now. Not tomorrow. Not “immediately-but-not-immediately.” Now.

  
  

There’s nothing sturdy in trusting yourself, but everything solid in trusting the One who laid down His life for you. Learn more about Jesus by watching this sermon.

So, Do We Disband 2025 Immediately?

Nope.

We should just thank the Lord for each day that he grants us, right until we draw our last breath.

“The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” - Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (ESV)

Yours in tact,

Ruth