“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

It's a new year—a time of reflection, celebration, anticipation, and hopefulness. We may be approaching this new year with more caution, anxiety, and fear than in years past. These last couple of years have been hard; 2021 felt more like a continuation of 2020, and we may be carrying weariness into 2022.

And yet, this is a season of hope and reflection. We have journeyed through Advent in hopeful anticipation of the Christ Child’s birth. In the humblest and simplest of settings, Jesus entered the world to draw us nearer to him. Joy entered the world to be with us, and with this joy, we have hope that our feelings of weariness and despair will ultimately be defeated. We can approach this new year with the hopefulness of a Messiah who seeks to draw near to us in the most ordinary moments.

Slow Down

The world asks us to slow down, step back, and listen to the stirring of our hearts. Our Savior, the King of Kings, wants us to reflect on where we put our time, talent, and treasure this year. Did fear, anxiety, and worry absorb us? Were we more consumed with despair than hope in the Lord? Whose voices did we listen to: others’ or God’s? How did we draw close to him in our moments of joy and sadness? What is stirring in our heart?

We should slow down and step back not just because the Lord is asking us, though that is the best reason, but also because our heart, mind, soul, and body need the rest. We go from one busy season to the next without ever truly sitting down to reflect and listen. We are not made to go without a rest; we are made to be in relationship with Christ. And to be in relationship with Christ, we need to draw near to him. 

Draw Near

The Lord does not want us to straddle two fences, the world and him. He wants us—all of us. He is longing for us to draw near to him, so that he may draw nearer to us. We need to rest so that we may reflect and refocus on where the Lord is calling us. Our God moves in the quiet, everyday moments. He pierces our heart, inviting us to him, and quietly waits for our response. 

This New Year’s, let us rest at the manger of the Divine Infant. Bring your feelings of weariness and despair to him. Be with the Lord and let him love you only like he can love you. Your heart may still be restless, but the Lord is with you and is drawing you ever closer to his heart.

In drawing nearer to him, may we surrender our expectations for this new year and trust in his plan.

Alexandra (Alex) Harrel resides in Irving, Texas. She is a new student affairs professional within the world of higher education. In her spare time, she loves reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors. Her favorite prayer is Hail, Holy Queen. You can follow her on Instagram at @2012alexandra.