Well, here we are, with the first week of the new year almost behind us and I pray that it’s been kind to you. Or, at least, that you’ve found some light leaking through on these cold, January days.
Usually, this time of year centers around reflecting on the past to set informed intentions for the future, and a Pastor in Ohio said so himself as we visited dear friends and attended their church service on New Year’s Eve morning.
Truthfully, I sat in that church pew bracing myself for another cliche New Year’s Eve sermon about how we need to be striving toward faithfulness and how our goals and intentions reflect our level of perseverance. But my shoulders sagged in sweet relief, tears stinging my eyes, as he offered a more gentle invitation instead.
“What if this year, we live our life by one invitation rather than an intention? Walk.”
He then began to quote from Galatians 5:25,
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (NKJV)
As I listened to the Pastor talk, I started to think to myself that maybe the goals and the intentions themselves aren’t what weigh us down. Maybe they’re not inherently bad themselves. After all, I know that reflection is a life-giving tool and that having goals gives us something good to focus on. Maybe it’s just when we forget to walk in the Spirit, staying connected to Love, that we begin striving and working for our worth and filling ourselves with things that will never satisfy.
Maybe that’s when the goals and the list of intentions begin to feel more like death than life.
Intentionality is a good thing, but walking by the Spirit of God is what keeps us grounded in the truth of who we really are. Most of us have been taught to work and then rest, get it all done, and then praise God. But I think what keeps a soul healthy is walking first with God and letting everything else grow from that space of deep abiding.
Walking requires a slower cadence, giving us time to savor God’s presence and speak with Him about what we’re carrying or holding in our hearts. Walking makes space for listening and receiving. When we strive and run ahead, it’s almost impossible to perceive the presence of God — to remember to hold hands with Him as we move forward. We’re not able to listen or receive because all we’re focused on is pouring out and producing.
Personally, I resonated with the Pastor’s message on a very deep level and feel invited to walk gently into the new year with Jesus rather than with my list of goals. If longings, desires, and goals arise from that place of walking by the Spirit, then I’ll explore those with Him. But for now, I’m focusing on taking one step after another, after another, after another, dropping my expectations and holding it all loosely.
This invitation released me from the pressure I often put on myself to produce and perform, and it was a reminder that I needed, and maybe one you need, too. After all, there isn’t really a ‘right’ way to enter into a new year, there’s only where you are and how you choose to begin.
Jesus only asks one thing of us, to walk in step with Him — to abide in Him (John 15:4). As we learn to abide in His Spirit, growing in intimate relationship with Him, we begin to reflect His character and His heart. Walking with the Lord also leads us to deeper ways of living that unlock longings and dreams that align with the path that God has us on.
Perhaps this year, if you’re feeling weary, exhausted, or just downright over the pressure to strive, it’s time to listen to the sweet, tender invitation that Jesus is always extending to us: “Walk in step with Me. Abide in My Love and the rest will fall into place in My timing.”
I wonder what would happen if we chose to believe that — to live like walking with God is enough.
Maybe our words would be different and our longings would change.
Maybe hope would bloom in unexpected places and joy grow alongside the pain.
Maybe the pressure to perform would melt into a peace that comes from a place of deep knowing that our God truly does love us, even on the days when we’re empty and weak and have nothing to offer.
Even on the days when we struggle to get out of bed, God’s with us. Always with us, tenderly loving us and inviting us to step into His gentle way of walking this life.
So I will seek a slower cadence this year, responding to God’s invitation to walk in step with Him as I trust that no matter what, He’ll be with me every scary, uncertain, and hopeful step of the way.
Will you join me?
With you on the journey,
Celia
Life Lately
A Breath Prayer for the New Year
Inhale: I am at rest.
Exhale: In God alone.
(adapted from Psalm 62:1)
*If you’d like to learn more about the practice of breath prayer, download this complete digital guide to practicing breath prayer.
Resources & Good Things to Pick Up
My Etsy shop, The Beholding Co., offers contemplative resources to help you slow down, seek still moments, and behold God’s presence with you in the everyday. Purchase some breath prayer cards, a Lectio Divina bookmark, and more.
Grab a copy of my Bible study, You Are Beloved: a 21-day study on how to root your identity in the love of God, over on Amazon. If you’d like a free 3-day sample of the study, reply to this email and I’ll send it right over!
My friend and licensed spiritual director, Kari Bartkus, offers an 8-week journaling program for those who want to process their grief and trauma with God within the safety of blank journal pages. I’ve completed the program myself and can say confidently that it was incredibly impactful and healing: Journal Gently
An Invitation to Pause & Reflect
A regular practice of reflection helps us recognize what’s going on beneath the surface of our souls so we can name it in the Lord’s presence. Because as we learn to name what we feel, what we need, and what we long for, we’re also learning to discern the Spirit’s sweet, gentle voice within our hearts and lives.
Take a few moments today or this weekend to journal or contemplate with the Holy Spirit the following question(s) or prompt(s):
What invitations do you sense stirring at the start of this new year?
What’s one thing you could do this weekend to show gentleness toward yourself?
What would it look like for you to walk in the Spirit today?
Beautifully written! It reminds me of the hour of prayer, vigils. ...give the angels charge over those who sleep.
"abide in Me" has been His invite to my soul for this new year and your words were such a beautiful supplement to this. Thank you for sharing, friend.