The New Year Is An Invitation
Trusting Love to Finish What It Starts
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” — Colossians 1:27
Not Advice—Permission
As we stand at the edge of a new year,
I don’t want to hand you advice.
I want to offer you something better—permission.
Permission to exhale.
Permission to stop measuring.
Permission to enter this year without carrying last year like a verdict.
Beloved Before Becoming
This past year has reminded me of something simple—and freeing:
Growth is not about becoming someone new.
It’s about becoming more rooted in who we already are.
God's Beloved.
Not a project.
Not a problem to solve.
Beloved.
How Change Actually Happens
I’ve learned that God is far less interested in fixing us
than He is in meeting us.
Transformation didn’t come by trying harder.
It came through staying present with Him.
As I learned to remain—without hiding or performing—
I discovered God was already there.
Not evaluating.
Not withdrawing.
Simply present.
That nearness began to change how I lived
and how I trusted.
That’s how love works.
Grace in the Rearview Mirror
Looking back, I don’t see wasted moments.
I see grace quietly at work—
through delays, detours,
even missteps that softened my heart.
Nothing was discarded.
Nothing was beyond redemption.
An Invitation, Not Instructions
The new year does not arrive with instructions.
It arrives with an invitation.
Not pressure to reinvent ourselves,
but space to keep aligning with who we already are, His.
Purpose isn’t manufactured.
It emerges as we stay connected to Love
and make ourselves available.
Christ in Us—Already There
We step into the future
not because we have everything figured out,
but because Christ in us is already present there—
holding,
leading,
sustaining.
A Word to Carry Forward
If I could offer you one thing for the year ahead, it would be this:
Stay close to Love when you feel the pull to rush or retreat.
Trust that what feels unfinished is still being faithfully held.
Walk forward knowing you are not late,
not alone,
and not forgotten.
Listen for Love before you listen to fear.
And when the road feels unclear, remember—
Presence has always been enough.
Love will not rush you.
And it is faithful to finish what it begins.
Reflection
Where did I experience God’s nearness this past year?
What might change if I enter this new year from belovedness rather than striving?
Where could Love be gently inviting me to participate next?
Prayer
Abba Father, thank You for meeting us where we are and carrying us forward in love. As we step into this new year, help us remain rooted in You—open, available, and at peace in our union with You. Amen.