Here’s to 2024 // Some Thoughts About the New Year

I don’t think 2023 was what anybody expected.

I think that everyone thought 2023 would bring renewal, revival, fresh starts, clean slates, and a breath of new air after the last few years of utter chaos.

I think we all dreamed that 2023 would be the year we finally broke our bad habits, stopped letting our habitual sins win, and truly gave God everything.

I think we all had a dream for 2023 that smashed into the ground way too soon.

I think 2023 wasn’t the year we though it would be, and that HURT.

After years of chaos, we wanted 2023 to be the year where everything just stilled . . . and instead, we were met with a year that felt like it moved at warped speed, racing toward a finish line that none of us saw or even understood.

Instead, we faced a year of war, anxiety, illness, poverty, and sin that threatened to break us.

I know that 2023 wasn’t what you wanted it to be, my friend. It wasn’t what I wanted it to be, either.

But we’re still here.

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2023 took so much out of me. It turned out to be the year I finally acknowledged how much healing I still have to face. I learned how to give a voice to my bitterness and anger and hurt from the past. I warred with myself and those I love. I cried a lot because I was overwhelmed, angry, frustrated, sad, anxious, and lost. I wrote poetry that suddenly spilled out of me, as if it had been held back for too long. I fell into a spiritual rut that made me feel unworthy of God’s goodness. I let habitual sin tell me that I am worthless and unclean. I struggled to connect with my friends. I felt so lonely, but had no idea how to fix it. I allowed my church hurt to keep me away from potentially wonderful people.

I allowed Satan to whisper so many lies into my heart.

And yet . . .

God still fights for me. God still calls me beloved child. God still tells me I am worthy. God still cleanses my heart every morning. God still calls me chosen. God still holds me in His arms. God still knows me. God still embraces me. God still dusts me off. God still helps me up. God still loves me.

God. Still. Loves. Me.

I don’t know if that’s a profound thought for you, but it is for me.

I hope I never live a single day where that thought feels normal.

I hope I never live a single second where the realization that God still loves me doesn’t bring me to my knees, overwhelmed by how profoundly unworthy I am of His love.

I hope that I never go a single moment without feeling tears threaten to fall at the concept that God would still send His son all over again to save only me.

And I hope that you never do, either.

I hope that the realization that God still loves you draws your heart nearer to your Creator in a way that you’ve never known until right now.

I hope that the knowledge of His eternal and unconditional love pushes out every lie that the devil has worked to plant inside of your beautiful mind.

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At the end of 2022, I decided that my word for 2023 would be revival. I wanted 2023 to be the year I finally reconnected with God in a purposeful and meaningful way. I wanted to turn my life around and start living radically for Jesus in everything I did.

You see, I tend to yoyo my way through life. Sometimes I feel like I’m on fire for Jesus, and other times it’s a struggle to just make it to church. Sometimes Jesus is all I can think about. Other times opening my Bible feels nearly impossible.

I wanted radical change, but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice things and prioritize my life to get it. I wanted to be on fire for Jesus, but I wasn’t willing to do what it takes to maintain that fire.

So my fire faded into a simple candle by December . . . and I always feel so guilty when my faith is only a mere candle instead of a blaze for His glory.

But, my dear friend, I’m starting to realize there is still power in a candle.

A candle still sheds light.

A candle can still light the way.

A candle can still frighten the dark.

A candle can still set fire to the world.

Just because my faith feels like a candle doesn’t mean it will forever.

Just because my faith is a candle doesn’t mean it doesn’t hold any power.

Just because my faith is that of a small flicker doesn’t mean it can’t still chase the devil away.

Just because my faith is tiny right now doesn’t mean that God can’t use it.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28, NIV

I don’t know what 2023 looked like for you, and I don’t know what you want 2024 to look like. I don’t know what you’ve struggled with this year, or what you’re hoping to leave behind in 2024. I don’t know what you feel guilty for not doing in 2023 or what you hope to accomplish in 2024.

What I do know is that I hope 2024 is the year you fall in love with being alive again.

I hope 2024 is the year you soak in little moments that nobody else notices where the world is finally slow and the peace of God spills over your heart like a river.

I hope 2024 is the year you find joy amidst the darkness.

I hope 2024 is the year you discover contentment with where you are right now. Not with where you want to be or where you thought you would be. No. I hope you discover how beautiful your life is right here, right now, in this present moment.

I hope 2024 is the year you start doing what makes you feel alive. Go try that new recipe you’ve been dying to make. Go take that vacation that God put on your heart five years ago. Go read that book you’ve put off becuase it hasn’t felt like the right time. Go tell him you love him because you never know when it will be too late. Go apply for your dream job. Go lay in the sunshine because it makes you feel warm and human again. Go hug your mom because one day you’ll wish that you had. Go make memories in parking lots at 3AM with the people who light your soul on fire.

I hope 2024 is the year you finally live. Stop worrying about what other people might say and focus on what God is saying. Stop listening to the devil’s lies and turn your ears to the truth that God is whispering. Stop letting your fear hold you back from living the way that God knows you can. Stop allowing your insecurities to define you and hold onto the identity that Christ has given you. Stop staring at the mirror and go.

I hope 2024 is the year you fall back in love with Christ. Let His promises wash over you, cleansing you of all your faults. Let His words reside in your mind, heart, and soul. Let His goodness remind you of how loved you are. Let His arms wrap around you when you feel anxious, heartbroken, lost, and unsure. Let His voice guide your steps. Let His power fight your battles. Let His love put you back together when you lay shattered in a hundred thousand pieces. Let His whispers rock you to sleep when nervousness spreads through your body. Let His glory color the way you see the world. Let His actions set the example for how you interact with others. Let His forgiveness remove the dirt and grime that you cling to because you don’t know how to live without it.

I hope 2024 is the year you feel more alive than you ever have before.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

John 10:10, NASB

This hasn’t been a traditional blog post. I don’t usually share super personal stuff on here anymore. But, as the year comes to an end, I knew that I needed to share my heart with you all. I knew that, for this one moment, I needed to treat my blog a bit like a diary.

For right now, I needed to let my walls down and be honest about where I’m at.

This year has been rough, and I know I’m not the only one who thinks that. But I really hope we can live a little more in 2024. I hope it’s a good year, not because of what it brings us, but because of how we choose to live in it.

That’s why my word of the year is live.

I want to constantly remind myself that 2024 is a gift. An opportunity. A chance to live wholly, truthfully, honestly, kindly, and intentionally.

I think sometimes we forget that we get a say in how our year goes. So choose well, my voyagers. Choose beauty. Choose joy. Choose contentment. Choose to soak in every moment because you are here, and you are alive.

And that means something.