Porch #124 ☕ Give yourself the gift of a gracious entry into the new year

no thanks to Goals Police or Resolutions Monitors : a stunning seaside calendar : 2 final Christmastide musings : a gentle prayer set to music

purchase calendar here

Happy happy New Year, friends!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been slow to pack up the remnants of Christmas and quick to leave anything cozy, wintery, and twinkly within reach. Yet I love putting up a crisp new wall calendar and making more concrete plans. This, the gradual shifting of gears into more of a regular routine, is kind of welcome.

I think. The jury’s still out on that statement.

In the process of this annual recalibration, you might be experiencing a not-so-subtle push to set some big goals, or drum up a list of life-altering resolutions, or claim a One Word as your very own guiding star as 2024’s seemingly endless expectations and demands and challenges make their presence known.

Or not.

Instead, you might be consumed with an undercurrent of anxiety or overcome with paralyzing loss.  Deepest disappointments.  Unending frustrations.  Uncertainty about the future.  Or a pile of regrets all tied together in a stranglehold of ever-present fear.

The last thing you're thinking of is figuring out the year ahead.

I have good news for you.  There's no Goals Police or Resolutions Monitors waiting to slap your hand if you don't produce.  

It really is ok if you're not interested.  Please don't go there if your only prompt is some kind of self-imposed ought or should ... or an odd FOMO (fear of missing out) if you don't.  Indulging in these sometimes helpful activities will only guarantee that there'll be little if any substantial follow through (accompanied by a weird sense of false guilt) if you're not prompted by genuine enthusiasm or an inner joy. Or the Spirit of God Himself.

Can I encourage you to give yourself some grace and space instead?

I spotted this 2 Chronicles verse a while back and quickly sent it off on wings and a prayer to a woman who needed a big dose of reassurance.

These sacred words in black and white hit home for her.  And if that wasn't good enough, the little obscure verse revisited her again that evening at Bible Study as her group worked through their study guide.  It was a special grace gift from God, a solid reassurance that even though there were few clues to her next step, this one thing could be true -

She could stay completely focused on Jesus and trust Him for every desperately needed grace she yearned for.  There was no need to design a handy dandy check-off list or lean into a 1-2-3 plan.

We do not know what to do but our eyes are upon You.
2 Chronicles 20:12

So we make it our goal to please Him.
2 Corinthians 5:9

In this transition season, I’m finding myself surprisingly more compassionate, patient, and tolerant because I realize over and over that my call is to love and not fix, control, or analyze.  This has freed me up and allowed me to go the long haul with peace. This call invites me to embrace my relationship with Christ more than something I can drum up on a chart or in a notebook. Which ends up being a very good thing because I’ve never stuck to a new year’s goal or any kind of resolution for more than two weeks. Tops.

2 FINAL PRICELESS CHRISTMASTIDE MUSINGS . . .

A Merry Memorandum
- Michele Morin
'Once that Christmas tree is out of the house and the floor is vacuumed and the gift wrap is put away, I should hang the framed print of Andrew Wyeth’s Wind from the Sea that our good friends gave us for Christmas. That will require a length of picture wire and the right kind of nails, which means a trip to True Value. As long as I’m going there anyway, I ought to ask Calvin if we need anything fixed on the chainsaws …’

AND . . .

Perhaps this is one secret of re-enchantment

A GENTLE PRAYER FOR THE MONTHS AHEAD . . .

Just because resolutions and goals aren’t my thing, doesn’t mean they don’t work well for you. I’m eagerly curious to hear what you’re claiming, embracing, championing, and focusing on for 2024 … a Word, a song, a long-yearned for resolution, some crisp, clear markers or milestones to aim high toward.

Let’s talk!
Linda

📅 Everyone needs a beautiful work of art that poses as a wall calendar. I write every plan, date, happening, and appointment on this LANG Seaside beauty that calls attention to herself every time I walk into the room. For sure, a good old-fashioned calendar is one of the most important purchases I make each year. (Thanks to all of you who support my work whenever you click the Amazon links here and then shop til you drop.)

📅 It’s not too late to listen to The Nester’s 14: How to Take Back Your House: Christmas Undecorating Like a Cozy Minimalist

📅 PORCH is a Christ-centered weekend newsletter featuring gentle conversation, calming snapshots, uplifting linkage, and occasional surprises

📅 Linking up with with longtime pals Paula . Andrew . Joanne . Maree