A New Year - Simple
Like so many of you, every time a new year rolls around, I find myself reminiscing and contemplating all that has happened over the past year. I imagine, like me, you have experienced many ups and downs, joys and challenges. What have I learned? What do I want to change? And so on . . .
Sometimes the new year brings a sense of hope that things will be different, and other times it ushers in sadness as hardships may continue into a new year. As I reflect on all that has happened and how busy life seems, I long for this year to be simpler.
The other day I was watching some old TV shows. My husband and I enjoy watching the old black-and-white shows — Andy Griffith, I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, and Leave It to Beaver are our favorites. We were talking about how different life seemed back then. No one is rushing around, glued to their phones, or arguing on social media. It seemed simple, and people were happy. I remember asking my great-grandmother once what life was like when she was growing up, and she replied, “It was simple.”
Sometimes I long for simple. Do you?
It’s easy for us to get so wrapped up in the world around us that we forget to take a step back, rest, and choose simple. To make the choice to meditate on the Lord before bed, or when we wake, instead of scrolling Facebook and deciding whether to jump in on a meaningless debate (I’m totally guilty of this sometimes!).
When we choose simplicity and step away from the world's distractions, it is much easier to remember that the Lord has placed each of us in this time, at this very moment, for a purpose. It is not a mistake that we are living in 2026; each of us has a purpose and an opportunity to live this year to its fullest, being used in whatever way God has planned.
I often think about Esther in the Bible and how God placed her in that moment of time to save her people. Queen Esther was reluctant to speak up because doing so risked her own life. In Esther 4, we read Esther and her uncle Mordecai writing to each other. In verse 14, Mordecai wrote, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
You may recall the end of the story—Esther does speak up, and in turn, justice is served, and her people are saved.
Whatever the new year holds for you, remember that you have been placed here in this moment for a purpose.
So as we move forward into 2026, may we resist the pull to overcomplicate our lives. May we choose simple—quiet moments with the Lord, living intentionally, and the courage to step into the purpose God has for us. Like Esther, we may not see the full picture, but we can trust that God has placed us here, in this time, for a purpose. We may not know exactly what this year will bring, but we can trust that we are here for such a time as this.
