☀️ Begin Again: No Resolutions Required

A New Year's prayer, printable guided journal, and starting the year in rhythms of grace

You don’t have to make a single resolution. You don’t have to hit the gym more or read your Bible more or be more or do anything more for the One who gives each breath to draw near to you.

Take a breath.

Release the shoulds. The guilt. The pressure. The shame. The worry. The fear. The exhaustion that comes with another year.

We can’t tell the future. We don’t know what is to come. If 2025 is any indication, we’re entering another year of political strife, war, and injustice. There is so much pain. There is so we can’t control, this is true.

And.

You can release what was never yours to hold.

You can release the idea that you have to be everything to everyone.

You don’t have to twist into someone who is somehow better or holier for God to hear your every prayer, to count your every breath.

As 2026 comes into focus, you don’t have to shift and change into a perfect new version of you for the unchanging God of the universe to call you beloved.

Photo by Europeana on Unsplash

A Prayer for the New Year

from page 139 of To Light Their Way

O God, creator of time
And keeper of seasons,
No gods were formed before You,
Nor will there be any after You.
You hold it all,
And in You alone all things are made.

As we look at the year behind us,
Give us space to process the paths that got us here
So that we may have vision for what lies ahead.

We ask for hearts to remember
The celebrations and sorrows
Of our family’s passing year.

Help us reflect on the good
Shared between us,
Of the tiny moments
Sparkling with joy,
Of the celebrations
Twinkling with hope.
May these joys
Energize us as we look to the New Year.

And help us, too, reflect on the hurts
Shared between us,
Of the small disappointments
Nestled in our hearts,
Of the mistakes
Hanging in the balance.
May these sorrows
Teach us as we look to the New Year.

As we watch time tick by
And count down to a new year,
We remember that You are a God
Of fresh starts and clean slates.
And what a gift it is
That Your mercies are new each morning
And that we don’t have to wait for a new year
To begin again.

As we look to the New Year,
We thank You for the little ones underfoot
As the ball drops and the music starts.
Thank You for living room dance parties
With young and old
And toasts with sparkling juice,
Kisses on the forehead,
And I love yous.

O God, You hold all eternity in Your hands.
Thank You for songs to sing
And moments of quiet too.

May we reflect on the year behind us
As we look ahead to the year in front of us.

Gathering the Stones

The end of the year invites us into reflection, but amidst the chaos of Christmas and the whirlwind of winter break, it can feel daunting to take stock of what was when what is feels overwhelming enough.

For the past few years, I’ve shared a printable PDF as a guided journal for you (and your family) to reflect on the year that has passed. Just use the password “season” when you click the link.

If you have a copy of Every Season Sacred¹ (and I sure hope you do), turn to page 133 for the “Gathering the Stones” chapter, which is in the WINTER section and is written with the New Year in mind.

You can also head to page 296 for a guide on how to pray the Examen, an ancient reflective practice that fits well with the end of not only a year but also a season, month, or even a day.

I wrote Every Season Sacred because it’s the book I needed—one I could turn to over and over throughout the year, with nuanced resources for my actual life.

I wanted reflections that didn’t turn away from the world’s pain but also didn’t crumble into cynicism.

One I could turn to when I needed a dose of stubborn, gritty, messy hope. So I could connect with God, my family, and my neighbors in a way that felt real, not forced (or fluffy).

If you have a copy, I hope it helps you integrate a couple more rhythms of grace into this complicated world.

Start the New Year with Intention

The beginning of a new year can stir up all kinds of things—hope, weariness, grief, longing. In the paid portion of Year of Breath, we make room for all of it.

Each week includes: fresh breath prayers for every day, guided reflection questions, a simple spiritual practice, Scripture, a playlist, a phone wallpaper, and a benediction.

My hope is that this space helps you begin the year from a place of peace in a shouting world—a little corner of the internet where you can breathe in your belovedness—and to return to the One who gives each breath again and again as the months go on.

PS: Paid subscribers not only support my writing and help feed my kids (THANK YOU!) but also unlock all the archives. (100+ of them!)

(Please let me know if a scholarship would be helpful. I will not turn down anyone because of cost!)

Breath Prayer for this Week

Monday
INHALE: Help me release the pressure