When the New Year Doesn't Feel New
Gospel Hope for Caregivers: January Newsletter
Happy New Year!
How does your 2025 feel so far? Does it feel fresh, new and full of possibilities? Have you made a list of goals, chosen your “word of the year” and filled out your calendar?
Or did January 1st feel suspiciously similar to December 31st?
What do we do when the aches, pains and struggles of the past year follow us into the new year? What if there is nothing new or fresh about your health, your circumstances, or the condition of your loved one?
Sometimes setting goals and looking forward can help us move out of that “stuck” feeling. Making an appointment for a new doctor, following up with the therapy or medication that was recommended, or planning lifestyle changes that could make caregiving easier - can all be wonderful ways to start the new year. Each small step can move us forward in the middle of situations that feel static.
But sometimes we are already doing all-the-things, and the struggles don’t seem to be improving. What then? Is there gospel hope for the trenches that appear never-ending?
As I’ve been reflecting on those types of situations in my life I’ve also tried to turn my gaze toward Christ and a few promises he makes:
1. Even if nothing in our circumstances feels new or refreshing… Christ promises to renew us every single day with a heaping dose of his mercy (Lamentations 3:23). He knows exactly how much we will need to face the details of our day, and he doles it out with compassion and precision, like a mother dispensing medicine to her sick children.
2. Even if our circumstances aren’t changing, we are still called to continually move forward in our sanctification. Spiritual growth is not dependent on circumstantial improvements. We are called to leave behind former ways and press onward toward the goal of one day fully understanding the glorification process the Holy Spirit has worked in us (Philippians 3:12-14). There is always room to grow in knowing and loving Christ.
3. Even if we feel like we’ve prayed all the prayers, we probably aren’t praying big enough. God wants to give us more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). So often our prayers are smaller than we realize. We are looking at our circumstances from such an up-close perspective. Our finite brains can’t compute the vastness of God and his unsearchable ways (Romans 11:33). God’s perspective of our lives is so much bigger, grander and lovelier than ours. The more we gaze at Christ, the bigger our prayers can become.
So here are some New Year’s Questions for you to ponder:
How can I make time each day to reflect on God’s sustaining mercies toward me?
What is one thing I can do this week to draw closer to Christ?
What is one prayer request that I can make bigger and bolder this month?
Encouraging Resources:
This past month I took a much needed break from writing and ministry. So I don’t have my normal list of resources for you – but I do want to share two books that are on my table that I’m planning on reading this next month:
- When Parents Feel like Failures
Have you read these yet? Would you like me to review them for you? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Family Update:
December was a sweet month with my family. We suffered together through the stomach bug. We spent quality time with cousins and grandparents. We put together a 1000 piece puzzle, watched too many movies, played pickle ball and other outdoor games, we enjoyed good food, and lots of friend time. It was a full month and was rich in all the right ways.
January has started off easily for us. The girls have an extra week off of school for “independent study week” where they each have a project to complete and present at school when they return. So that’s given us more time to build with Legos, ride bikes, and avoid injuries at the trampoline park. Oh - and drink a lot of hot chocolate!
May your January be gentle, and may you feel the Lord’s mercies carrying you into this new year.
Love, Marissa
Thanks, Marissa, this sense of the new year feeling “suspiciously” like the previous year resonates with me. Thanks especially for the reminder to make my prayers bigger and bolder.
Sounds like you had a very nice December with lots of family time. Glad you're back.