Where did January go?! It is hard to believe that we are well into a new year. It seems like just yesterday that we were enjoying a holiday season with our church friends and family.

The conclusion of a holiday season is always a bittersweet time. On one hand, you don’t want the season to end, but on the other hand, you are ready for a fresh start!

A few days after Christmas, I was putting away decorations with the help of my daughters and a few kind young men (who were willing to lift the heavy boxes!). We had a system down,with tables and tubs lined up in my backyard. (I love Christmas, and as a result, the process of placing, storing, labeling, and packaging décor is quite the ordeal for me!)

My girls had to leave to run an errand, so I stayed in the yard to continue sorting and packing. I was sure to be careful as I walked in and out of the house, because our broken sprinklers had created a very icy and slippery back patio. My husband had actually slipped earlier in the day, and after we all enjoyed a friendly laugh, he warned us to be careful.

A short time after the girls left, I called out to one of the young men helping and asked him to take another box to our shed. As I called him, though, I lost my balance, slipped, and fell flat onto the icy ground.

You always wonder how you will react when something like this happens to you, especially in front of someone else. Well – now I know how I respond: I laugh. I laugh really hard.

I was so surprised by what happened that I just got a serious case of the giggles. I began to laugh so hard that I started to cry! The poor young man just awkwardly stood there not knowing if he should help me up, get more boxes, or just leave the backyard!

Two skinned knees and lots of laughs later, we finally got everything packed up and the house ready for the new year.

As I reflected back on what happened that day, I did find a serious reminder amid the funny situation: sometimes, we go through life in a hurry – trying to get things done. Packing, sorting, delegating…moving from here to there. And, we aren’t careful to pay attention along the way. We tend to get a little overconfident and forget to acknowledge God, because we’re buried under all we have to accomplish.

Proverbs 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Can I encourage you with something as we move forward in 2014? Take it slow and steady. Guess what? God is not in a hurry! Study His life while He was here on earth. It was characterized by many wonderful attributes, but “hurry” wasn’t one of them.

Maybe you’re already discouraged with the circumstances of the year. Perhaps you’re frustrated with a lack of progress on your goals. Maybe you are trying to hurry your husband, your kids—even God.

Take some time today to surrender that hurriedness to the Lord and exchange it for His peace and His pace for your life.  Will there be times that require haste and quick decision making? Of course! But, allow God to lead you to and through those times. And, choose to trust Him with anything else that causes you to stress!

Enjoy this new year, ladies! And, let God guide your steps and set your pace!

Psalm 37:23-24
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in
his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord
upholdeth him with his hand.”