Happy New Year to All of You!

I pray this year brings blessings to you and God’s presence in the joyful and tough moments.

This time always seems to come with hope and promises to “make this the best year yet.”

As we enter into this new year, there are many reminders of goals and things we are told that we want to achieve, on television, with friends and families, and with the general expectations. It is hard to keep them all straight and sometimes focused. 

There are many distractions that we face every day. To-do lists that get too long that they seem endless. Images and articles online of what life “should” look like. Videos that promise that if you do these things, your life will be “so much better.” 

Life should be perfect this year is what we are told, but it is hard to achieve or find ways to reach that. 

And I was thinking about what I want to focus on for the next year, so I came up with the phrase “Be Present.” 

I want to be present in what is going on around me and not strive to achieve perfection because it is not possible. Be with family and friends. Read and write more to expand my creativity and knowledge. Being present to what God is doing in the moment. 

But there is the promise that God is with us, and God’s grace abounds. God does not expect us to be perfect but wants us to come to God in our brokenness, times of need, and our failures. That never changes from year to year even if we make changes in ourselves and our lives. 

Things will fail. Goals may go unmet. Life goes sideways. It is part of our humanness of what life is. But God gives us grace and love to live authentically and wholly even in these moments. 

So, as we move into this new year, with our new goals and aspirations to lead us into what is next, remember and be reminded that God’s grace is always with us to continue living as we are called. 

Vicar Jennie White