Here's to a (not so) new year.
Here's to a (not so) new year.
It's a new year... Or at least, that's what the calendar tells me.
Actually, the calendar on my wall says it's still December 2022, because I forgot to order a new one until recently, and am waiting for it to arrive in the mail.
I'll be honest: it doesn't really feel like a new year or a fresh start that a “new year” promises to bring.
We're kicking off 2023 with sickness in my house. My toddler has had a fever and I feel crummy. Thankfully my husband still feels well, and so does the dog (or at least I'm assuming so).
It's hard to get excited about the new year, new goals, and new plans when I'm exhausted from being sick and up checking my toddler's temperature at 2am.
And I think that's okay.
I think it's okay to say that the new year isn't so new, but instead feels like just another day where I'm trying to keep my head above water.
It's okay to take it easy at the start of the year. It’s okay to set aside any grand plans and slow down. Sometimes slowing down actually allows us to speed up - after all, I can’t effectively take care of my family, home, and writing when I’m trying to pour from an empty cup. And my cup sure is empty right now.
I need a refill, please.
As I literally refill my coffee mug, I also feel the tug to refill my soul. There are so many ways I could pursue refilling my soul… a nap, scrolling on my phone, reading, cross-stitching, binge-watching Netflix… and sometimes I do just that. There are days that a nap is needed, or zoning out while watching TV to turn my brain off for a few minutes, but those things don’t refresh my soul in a lasting, meaningful way. This tug is different: it’s the tug to rest and renew my soul in the One who makes all things new.
As a slightly type A/OCD perfectionist, rest doesn't come naturally to me. My husband actually just lectured me on that yesterday when I was supposed to be resting, but instead was working on a photo album.
I'm really bad at resting.
The hype of the new year to be better, to do more, to crush your goals... It's very enticing to jump into the rat race. Goals certainly aren't bad things, but they aren't good things if they become a higher priority than serving and resting in the Lord.
Because serving and resting go together. Did you know that Jesus took naps? Check out Luke 8:23, where Jesus fell asleep on a boat and slept through a massive storm (and later calmed it). Did you know that He also withdrew to refresh His soul? In Mark 1:35, Jesus specifically went to a solitary place to pray alone.
Within the thin pages of my Bible are real-life examples of how Jesus lived. He performed countless miracles and ministered to so many people, but He also rested, too. What a better way to live than to do as Christ did?
Rest.
So maybe instead of jumping into the rat race, I rest in the green pasture next to still waters... And restore my soul.
Intentionally resting, restoring, and refreshing my soul.
That's how I want to start my new year.
