January had other plans. Ice on the sidewalks. Forecasts that changed by the hour. School closings that required a flowchart. A start to the year that felt less like a confident stride and more like that careful walk we all recognize from icy parking lots. Sometimes faithfulness looks less like acceleration and more like staying upright.
Traction Requires Direction
When traction is lost, our instinct is predictable: try harder. Pick up the pace. That can look like Wile E. Coyote on rocket skates, spinning furiously on ice, only to end up flat on his back. The secret isn’t in putting the pedal down. Traction requires consistent force in the right direction, and alignment starts with paying attention.
The Bible rarely urges frantic motion. More often, it invites careful attention to what God is already doing. When Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send?” nothing is actually happening yet. The moment is one of listening and availability. Isaiah’s response, “Here am I; send me,” is the ultimate expression of alignment (Isaiah 6:8). God seems far more interested in direction than velocity.
Faithfulness That Did Not Disappear
In the midst of this disrupted start, I’ve watched our staff team hold things together with a clarity that comes from somewhere deeper than good planning. Plans shifted without warning. Schedules changed repeatedly. And still, communication stayed clear, decisions were handled without drama, and care for one another never wavered.
I’m also grateful for the faithfulness of this congregation. Worship continued. Care continued. Ministry continued. When we couldn’t always be in the same room, you found ways to stay connected. Communication itself became ministry.
Lent Is a Gift
As we move into February, Lent is approaching. Ash Wednesday falls on February 18. Lent is about walking together with honesty, restraint, and hope. In a year that started on ice, Lent arrives as an invitation to keep learning how to walk. Slowly. Attentively. Together.
At its heart, repentance is reorientation, the freedom of turning again toward the God who meets us on the road. There is a humility in this season that is almost cheerful.
Finding Our Footing
Psalm 147 reminds us that God “does not delight in the strength of the horse, nor take pleasure in the speed of a runner; but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:10–11). Trust and attentiveness are not weaknesses. They are how faith stays upright.
Don’t rush to make the year behave. Don’t assume you are behind. Pay attention. Notice where God is already at work around you. Take the next right step, even if it feels small or inadequate.
We will find our 2026 footing together. And God, as always, is already ahead of us.