As we arrive at another new calendar year, many of us are setting grand goals for our year ahead; to be more fit, to see more friends, to have more control over our finances. In the lead up to a new beginning, we gain a new chance at life and naturally begin striving to do more, be more and have more. After all, as family members, we all have a longing to be the best parent, daughter, son, sibling we can be. We all have a longing to make the most of our lives and set good examples for our children, so we naturally set goals to get us there.
But do we stop to ask ourselves whether these goals are the right ones for us and our families? Do we ask ourselves if these goals will bring us the peace we crave in our families or the purpose we crave in our lives. Do we ask ourselves whether these goals will ultimately lead us to God?
It’s easy to be led by society’s ideals but when we use these ideals to set our course, we can disconnect ourselves from God and instead take on the chaotic spirit of the world- unwittingly inviting our ‘Martha’ side to emerge (it is in Luke, chapter 10, that we see sisters Martha and Mary open their home to Jesus but approach their time with him very differently- while Martha hurries around in preparation for their meal and time together, Mary chooses to simply rest at Jesus’ feet and listen to his wisdom).
Choosing to live from our ‘Martha’ side on the surface can feel like the natural way to approach life, it can help us to feel as though we’re moving forward but excluding God’s presence from this means we lack His peace and without His peace, the pace of our lives becomes one of rushing, striving and doing-doing-doing.
What is perhaps counterintuitive at this point of our new chance at life is that truly being that best parent and child we long to be and truly making the most of our lives comes from a place of first resting at Jesus’ feet and hearing the wisdom He has for our lives and families.
From this place of rest, we are gifted with the grace we need to bring more peace to our families, from this place of listening, we hear His plans for our year ahead and from this presence, we approach our tasks from peace rather than the worldly pace of rushing.
So this year, instead of resolving to be more this or more that, before going out and buying the new planner or set of weights, let’s resolve to leave our ‘Martha’ side behind. Let’s resolve to put aside society’s ideals and instead continue in the spirit of our Liturgical Year, by following the themes of the Advent and Christmas seasons with the preparation for Jesus’ coming and towards who God calls us to be. With this intention, we can stop as Mary did to hear God’s voice and will for our lives and our families and let God lead us to His grand plan for our year ahead.
Jesus just wants us to sit at His feet. Shouldn’t our 2024 start there?
About the Author – Jessica Crino is a long-term HCP parishioner, mother, and Parenting Coach; who supports mothers seeking more peace & connection in their parenting. If you’d like to read more about Jess, visit https://www.facebook.com/jessicacrinocoach/.