What a start to the year it’s been. This past weekend I was finally able to emerge from our sick vortex, and as I’ve been reconnecting with friends I’m finding that many people have been just as sick as we have. My son just turned one, and–just speaking for myself–I don’t remember getting this many different viruses with my daughter when she was this age. I remember it taking a while to recover from certain illnesses. But I’m a little taken aback that we can all be this resilient and catch this many new viruses and face this many new hurdles this early in the year.
So…I think it goes without saying some of those new year’s resolutions didn’t quite stick.
Rather, I’m finding myself slowly re-opening tabs that we had opened towards the end of 2025 and trying not to get stuck in ADHD paralysis.
I started this article in February, was interrupted by another round of sicknesses, and now it is officially March. If I’m being completely honest, I think all I have done so far in 2026 is my best.
If you can relate–this article is for you.
Personally, when I am coming out of a survival period, the first thing I picture is a mountain of laundry. It takes me a few days to sort through so many different pieces, put them properly in their place, and slowly find my way back to our rhythm.
Then there’s life outside of my house. How do we even go about processing all of that?
There’s a famous quote by Vladimir Lenin that somewhat encapsulates where we’re at currently, “There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen”.
Like many of you, my sense of time has not been the same since 2019. I have a harder time knowing what to believe when I read the news, I have intermittent periods of demoralization where I’m not sure anything I’m doing is making an impact and no idea what the future holds, and then I have brief moments where I feel God’s grace and reassurance that we are going to be ok.
Brief overview of 2026 so far:
When I woke up on January 1st my sister-in-law informed me the U.S. is at war with Venezuela. Then there was/is the ongoing horror of the Epstein files. The murder of Renee Good was January 7th followed by escalating tension in Minneapolis and the murder of Alex Pretti on January 24th. More recently, the ongoing uncertainty of what’s next with ICE and trying to do my part in being an ally to those who are vulnerable. Last week the leader of the cartel was killed in Mexico, and now the U.S. is at war with Iran.
I know I’m not even scratching the surface on the depth or breadth of any of this, but I think there is something grounding about getting a timeline somewhat in order as we ask ourselves, “How is it already ____?” or “Where did the time go?”
We are living in a time where we are inundated with the constant threat of there not being a tomorrow while simultaneously trying to embrace the “best years” with our kids…on very little sleep, working longer hours, and sometimes just trying to remember what day it is.
We are trying to be organized, professional, high-functioning adults, but we live in a world of absolute chaos.
So *deep breath* maybe our task is less about maximizing what we accomplish each day, and more about how to pivot and adapt as we go. Maybe the task is reorienting to where God leads us and trying to put His plan above our own.
The only way I’ve successfully put this into practice is by giving Him the first few minutes of my day.
If you’ve ever tried to be more intentional about this, you’ve probably noticed the demands there are for your attention the minute you open your eyes. Sometimes it is a battle to choose God first every morning.
It can be incredibly difficult to keep Him first, but I have found that if we don’t set the intention, we don’t stand a chance.
Some examples:
If the first thing I do in the morning is drink my latte and race to unload the dishwasher, I’ve found I will end up irritated with how many things there are to pick up throughout the rest of the day…and usually mad at my family.
If the first thing I do is try to go on a walk listening to my own music (instead of a devotional or a worship song), I have found that I am often trying to escape the rest of the day.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with either of these “first things” and sometimes we do need to be “selfish” to feel like ourselves, but it’s been my experience that only God centers and directs me towards what is truly most important. He also gives me the ability to lean in, tolerate the mundane and to appreciate the little things each day.
I 100% understand how parents end up working out at 4:30 every morning and making that their anchor. I can see how the quiet hours become precious to us and why we try to keep them to ourselves with everything we have. I can hold compassion and grace for myself and others for the deeper needs I see present in what we reach for the minute we open our eyes, and still my truth is that every time I choose my own desires, the news, or household tasks above just a couple minutes with God–it backfires.
I recognize that we don’t always get to choose what we do first. There are mornings both kids are up, a diaper needs to be changed, we forgot to set out the trash bin etc. etc. but I think there is a difference between rolling with that inertia and very intentionally bringing God into the chaos.
God isn’t always outside of the chaos. Sometimes serving God is serving my kids breakfast or cuddling with them a little longer. Sometimes stewardship is doing the dishes. But if I haven’t spoken a word to God or heard from the word of God while I’m doing it–it all feels different to me.
Here’s what I’m getting at:
I’m hoping to remind you that we are not expected to function as if everything is ok when it’s not. We are only asked to put God first. Fortunately, there are so many small ways to do this in the comfort of your own home.
I am also saying–despite my deepest desire for predictability–-that I don’t think the answer to all of our problems is a routine so rigid that we escape or avoid the challenges of each day. God doesn’t want our rituals, He wants our hearts.
There are times I feel the Holy Spirit prompts me to open the Bible, to go for a walk, and there are times when I am set to escape to a yoga class when I hear the Holy Spirit say– “What are you doing? Go back inside”. I am stubborn and I am selfish, but I am slowly learning to listen because every day surrendered to the Lord turns out better than I could’ve asked for and every day chasing my own plans is the opposite. I also know that God takes care of me, He’s not going to leave me hungry and depleted.
One of my favorite podcasts is “We Can Do Hard Things” by Glennon Doyle, Amanda Doyle, and Abby Wambach. The other day I was listening to their episode titled “How to Stay Sane and Useful in Chaos” and they referenced a story told by Ram Daas about Ghandi. The story goes that Ghandi planned a huge march and all these people reworked their schedules and went through hardship to get there and that morning, as it was about to begin, Ghandi said something like this isn’t how it’s supposed to be, we need to cancel. Naturally, everyone organizing the event and planning to attend were upset and his response was, “All I know to do is wake up and feel the truth of things. In order to be truthful, I cannot be consistent.”
I love this story because it 1. It reminds us it’s ok to be inconsistent. 2. It unintentionally points us to the only God that never changes. Only God can make plans that will not be thwarted. The rest of us basically get to choose whether we want to be a part of that plan or fight it until we’re exhausted and at the end of our own rope. I do both all the time.
Other thoughts for reassurance:
Lately, as nothing has gone according to my own plans and as I continuously bend to what life brings I’ve been reminding myself of two things:
- God is not in a hurry.
- Maybe I didn’t plan for so many sick days at the start of this year, but God did.
While I hope that things will calm down and we can all get back to our “normal”, I think we’re all aware that’s not likely to happen anytime soon. So maybe instead of chasing one fire after another, we put God first and learn to tarry–knowing that if we are in God’s will we are always exactly where we need to be.
A prayer for surrender:
Lord, please help me to seek your will and not my own at the start of every day.
Help me to quiet the noise so I can recognize your voice.
Remind me to study your word and engage in conversations with you so that I don’t get lost in distractions and heartbreak for the world; forgetting that you are in control.
Keep my ears and eyes open for how to help, and grant me peace and rest when I’ve done what you’ve called me to do.
Remind me to laugh.
Remind me that taking care of myself is a necessary precursor to taking care of others, but that you always make up the time when I’ve put you first.
Amen.
Looking for more tangible guidance and help?
I’d love to help you sort through what putting the first things first looks like for you in therapy! Please feel free to email me at info@faithfocustherapy.com or to book an appointment online.
(P.S. This post was written without the use of AlexGPT.)
