It’s a new year, did you make any resolutions? Why is it that we tend to make new commitments, new promises, about what we are going to do, and who we are going to become at the beginning of the year? We give so much power and influence to the new year. Why do we do that? Does turning the calendar page on the new year really bring with it new opportunities or do we simply view the new year as a new start?
There is nothing magical about a new year. But we open ourselves up for change, for improvement, for betterment at the beginning of each new year. We make resolutions, we make promises. We will eat healthier, we will work out, we will drink less, we will spend more time with family, we will watch less television, we will spend less time on social media, and the list goes on. I, too, have made a mental list of things that I want to work on in the coming year, and things that I want to improve.
It is good to have something to strive towards, to work for; to have goals. Some of my goals include reading and writing more, using social media less, keeping a good work/life balance and establishing boundaries, eliminating and removing things that disturb my peace or steal my joy, being mindful of my personal health and wellness, and living an unhurried and fulfilling life. I am approaching 2023 as A Year of Slowing Down.
A Year of Slowing Down is a book by Alan Fadling that my husband and I have committed to reading together in this new year. Now we could have started this book at any time, but we chose to start on January 1. Beginning today (it is January 1 as I type this) was almost prophetic. The first reflection is “Rest is Holy” and today just happens to be Sunday – a day of rest.
I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to rest, I mean really rest. I am typically distracted by the things I need to do, so I never really rest. Rest usually only comes after exhaustion sets in, when I simply cannot do anymore. But that is not truly rest. That’s more like recovery. Real rest requires us to slow down, to stop measuring our output, to center ourselves, and enjoy the goodness of God. Saint Augustine writes in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” That’s real rest, but it requires a trusting relationship with Christ.
While there is nothing magical about the changing of the calendar, it does serve as a springboard for new beginnings. It is the springboard for me to learn to live in an unhurried manner and to learn to rest, truly rest. While there is no power in turning the page of a calendar, there is power in Jesus Christ. In 2 Corinthians it is stated; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” What a wonderful sentiment for beginning the new year.
Maybe you haven’t made any resolutions for 2023. If you didn’t, it really doesn’t matter. Every instance is an opportunity for a new beginning. We don’t have to wait until a new year, a new month, a new week, or even a new day. What is the next step God is calling you to take?
You can start right now and become a new creation. Yes, it takes work (bible study, prayer, and openness to God) and trust (surrender of your will to God), and even rest (which comes when you recognize how God is moving in your life and you allow yourself to enjoy God’s goodness). What is God calling you to in this new year? Maybe a deeper relationship with Him, maybe more trust, maybe more openness, maybe more rest and unhurried time with Him.
I hope that whatever God is calling you to, you are open to experiencing His abiding love and faithfulness and find rest in Him in 2023. Please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.
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