January
It always feels like an abrupt halt. We spend October through December going and going, squeezing in every tradition, party, and family gathering. Without fail, we end up sick at some point in the middle of it all. Finally, Christmas comes as the pinnacle of the season, and we soak in every moment we can. After all of that, January comes along and we find ourselves not knowing what day it is, what we should be doing, and lacking routine and normalcy.
I have never been one to rush to take down my Christmas decorations immediately after it all ends. I tend to like the reflective period after presents have been opened, all of the food eaten, and the festivities are over. I soak up the quiet- with the exception of noises from brand-new toys ringing through our house, and I spend the days after Christmas resting, reflecting on the past year, and thinking ahead to the upcoming one. With January comes the possibilities and excitement of a fresh start, anticipation for the year ahead, the planning of “resolutions” and getting-my-life-together type lists.
“Clean Slate Syndrome,” if you will.
Suddenly- without fail, and usually only a week or so into January- I feel it… stir-crazy, antsy, impatient, stale, discontent. The new has worn off, and I’ve already broken a half-dozen resolutions on my imaginary list. I find my mind racing…
“I need to deep clean my house right now because it’s driving me insane.”
“I’m going to do my lesson planning now for the rest of the month!”
“We need to break ground on the garden now so we can get a head start this spring.”
“There are so many projects I could accomplish now while it’s not scorching hot outside!”
Suddenly, my season of rest has turned into a season of hurry up and wait, something I do not do well.
How fitting that the sermon at church this morning started with the end of the Israelites’ forty years of waiting and wandering in the desert, and Joshua preparing himself for the role God was giving him. What a reminder and visual picture that was!
I don’t know what this year holds, or what God has in His plan for me, but I do know that today, January 4, 2026, my only New Year’s resolution is to try harder to live in the moment, with less hurry, and more day by day. I will use January as a time of rest and finding routine and rhythm for the start of the new year, and I pray that I can keep this renewed momentum for living seasonally, for whatever season that may be- whether one of progress and growth, or one of rest and reflection.
