Ongoing Dialogue

I am guessing that your inbox and social media, if anything like mine, are full of suggestions, sales pitches, and plans to kick off 2026.

There is a part of me that sees all of these messages and wants to shut it all down because it is too much, and there is a part of me that sees these messages and wants to figure out how to incorporate all of them into the year ahead.

These two parts find themselves on different ends of a pendulum, but somewhere in the middle is where I will actually land.

I've shared this before, but when I look at the year ahead, I break it down in two ways.

I like to look at all the months and see what's coming up in the year ahead. I consider what special events, trips, work, etc, are already on the calendar and will take up mental, emotional, and physical energy in the months to come. This helps me plan my calendar and get a sense of when and where I have space to say yes to new things, while also noticing where things might need to change.

I also like to look at my calendar in quarters. It helps me to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit might be inviting me toward quarter by quarter. I like to consider the quarters based on the following seasons.

December - February (winter)
March - May (spring)
June - August (summer)
September - November (fall)

So for me, January is the middle month of the winter quarter. 

None of this really matters, except to say that each of us is likely coming into the New Year with different goals and different ways of processing how the year ahead might look for us.

I think there is beauty in knowing there isn't a one size fits all approach to a New Year, and that, if you are a follower of Jesus, the most important piece is an ongoing dialogue with the Holy Spirit.

I am part of a monthly embroidery club, where each month I receive a new pattern in my inbox. The pattern for January is a ring of blooming flowers, and in the center, it says, "one thing at a time."

It got me thinking, what if we all need to be reminded that we can only do one thing at a time? If we try to make 10 changes in January, we likely won't stick to all of them, or maybe any of them. That's too much change all at once. So instead, what if we get curious about this one question - 

What do you sense the Holy Spirit inviting you toward today?

Maybe it is nothing. Maybe you are in a season of doing what you already know the Holy Spirit has mapped out for you. Maybe this is a season of faithfully continuing on the path you are on with Jesus.

Maybe the Spirit is inviting you to add something new to your year. Something that you didn't plan for or see coming, but something that is just right for you.

Maybe the Spirit is inviting you to let go of something. Maybe in the days ahead, you will find that something you've been saying yes to for a time is no longer yours to do.

My prayer for us this year is that the Holy Spirit would be our constant dialogue partner, and that we would make changes and set goals in response to the Spirit's invitation. 


~  Melissa