The gift of December 26

Christmas is over.

As a child, I remember hating that the clock was wound back and it was a whole three-hundred-and-sixty-four days' wait. AGAIN.

Not fair.

Now I love December 26. It's usually a very peaceful day, full of new memories and pregnant with hope. It's the beginning of a new year. Some time the week after Christmas, I find a moment to ask God what this coming year is going to look like. He and I find a quiet spot, light a candle, turn some (not-Christmas) music on, and I listen to Him whisper in my ear. He does so through a book I am reading, or a Bible study I am doing, or a song I am hearing. He whispers threads of the year to come. I whisper my fears and my longings. We agree to let Him direct, and me follow. I agree to rest in His unchanging grace. I agree to take the next step as He challenges me to follow Him deeper. It's scary. It's pregnant with hope. It's a new year coming. It's December 26.

How do YOU prepare for the coming year?