this is new.

I’ve seen posts recently about what “sounds like a January problem.” Yesterday, one of my coworkers mentioned how she plans to add exercise to her routine …in January — with the rest of America, she said.

It feels nicer — cleaner — to have a fresh start. New year. New month. New week. Like it’s easier to begin something new when something else is new too. Plus, it’s kind of nice to wind down the year with rest and let some things be January things.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I’m here for it, and will be out of office between Christmas and New Year’s.

But I’ve been thinking a lot about how God isn’t bound by our calendar year. He’s not winding down or wrapping things up. He’s not out of office until the new year or waiting until January, for what feels new or fresh, to do something new and fresh.

We (myself included) like to quote Isaiah 43 in January. Forget the old. Don’t dwell on the past. I am doing a new thing!

Yes. And also. God didn’t say that because it was January. He said it because it’s true about who He is. All the time. Every day. In January, and in December. On a Monday, and on a Thursday. He is doing something new.

We might be right around the corner from a new year, and what it means for us to finish and begin another year is real. But don’t forget that today is new too. God is still God today. On a Thursday. In December.

The power of God is in you, even on a Thursday.