A Different Kind of New Year

Happy New Year!

I'm not sure what your New Year's looked like, but get ready to be wowed by the Shaws. We went to bed by 9pm. I'm pretty sure my big reflective moment for the old year looked like me rolling over to Matt and saying, "Babe, it's the last day of 2025."

Him: "Very cool. Goodnight."

The next morning, I discovered my first gray hair, as if mocking me for my early bedtime. I gathered the kids around and announced, "This is what wisdom looks like," to which Cooper asked, very earnestly, "Do I have any gray hairs, Mom?"

Nope. Definitely not.

Despite my wild New Year's celebrations, I really do love the start of a new year. I love looking back and noticing how the Lord moved in ways I didn't expect, the good, the hard, the things I couldn't have planned. And I love looking ahead, wondering where I'll be a year from now, what will be different, and what will probably be the same. Still going to bed early.

I think I love it because it reminds me how small I am, and how big God is.

But New Year's can also be overwhelming. There's so much pressure to start something new, set goals, fix habits, be healthier, fitter, more disciplined. Better. And while some of those things have their place, it's often not another thing we need to add to our already full plates.

Sometimes what we need most is a deep breath. Maybe even a reset. The kind where you pause, turn things off for a moment, and remember what actually matters.

Instead of setting goals this year, I wanted to start by remembering who I am before I do anything. I'm always fumbling around for processing questions each new year, so this time I created a guided journal called A Different Kind of New Year to help process January from identity rather than expectation.

It's a printable guided reflection, meant to be used slowly and at your own pace. If that feels like something that would be helpful, feel free to download here: