This planner is designed to take you on a journey to see what new thing God is up to. We’re ready for some fresh starts, right? God promises new mercies each morning, slates wiped clean, and rivers in the desert. Each square of this planner beckons with possibility, as we ask God to faithfully transform our hearts to be more like His.

Wisdom can be gained in many ways, and I learned how wisdom and discernment comes from paying attention to the movements of God in and around us.

The expectancy of hope is defiant. It’s a stubborn, gritty belief that even when our worlds are caving in, the groans of creation will not last forever.

Lasting peace comes from an everlasting relationship with Jesus, who is our Peace. Every moment of strife, selfishness, and coming up short (at home and far beyond) is a chance to ask Peace to come and be near us — to be with us. It’s an opportunity to turn towards Him in our need. It’s counterintuitive, isn’t it? It’s the last thing we’d expect. Peace doesn’t run from our chaos; Peace shows up right in the middle of it all.

Jesus taught us how to manifest justice wherever we are, and Dr. King’s life is an example of what this great work can look like. Jesus first showed us; Dr. King reminded us. We are on course to flourish.

The God who holds all things together by His Word is also the God who allowed His Body to be broken for you and for me. And if your body or spirit are breaking like mine, I pray you’ll hear that a broken spirit God will not despise. God doesn’t despise us for our despair. Here, where hope is hard, God comes down into the darkness with us, reaching us with His staff as we risk being heard and found.

We need wisdom in how we live our lives, how we parent, how we work, how we make decisions, and how we minister. God designed us to be in community so we can receive wisdom from each other; we were never meant to do life alone. No matter our age, season of life, or circumstances, we can all give and receive wisdom.

Growing older has revealed my vulnerabilities, inadequacies, and desperate need for God. It has also shown me we’re more alike than not. Aging is the price we pay for life, and it’s worth it. It means we have another day to share the good news of the gospel with someone who doesn’t yet know Jesus.

You can’t hear His voice when you’re making a whole bunch of noise. When you’ve listened to too many voices, including your own, that aren’t the right ones — even if they are good ones — you’re going to miss Jesus’ call. We can’t know the tone of His call if we’re not used to hearing it over and over again. So when the world feels loud and things are moving too quickly, slow down, friend. Open the Word and listen to His voice until you can hear it clearly, even from 200 yards away.

I am owed nothing. I deserve nothing but have gained an incredible abundance in His kinship — so much so, I’ve been put in the will and have an inheritance in Christ! His grace is sufficient to meet us in our waiting, relinquishing, and worries, and His abundance will never end.