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With every New Year comes a time of renewal. We immediately think of resolutions, new ways we are going to be healthier, wealthier, and wiser. Everything around us tells us we need to write out goals, plan for more, get healthier, and increase the meaning of our existence. Make the most of what we’ve got, so to speak.
But what if renewal for us is not so much something new, but something left behind. What if we realize we need to let go of the things of the past, the things that are holding us back, the beliefs that just don’t move us forward. This “laying down” of the burdens we carry may be the key to a whole new you, and a whole New Year.
The language of Scripture is filled not with calls to do more, but with invitations to release. Jesus does not begin by handing out self-improvement plans; He begins by saying, “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” Rest assumes that something heavy has been carried for too long. It suggests that before anything new can be received, something old must be set down.
Throughout the Bible, transformation often begins with surrender. Moses removes his sandals before stepping onto holy ground. The disciples leave their nets before following Jesus. Paul counts his former achievements as loss in order to gain something greater. Again and again, God’s work of renewal starts with subtraction, not addition.
Perhaps the question for this new year is not, "What should I strive for?" but "What am I still holding onto?". Maybe it’s a failure that continues to define you, a fear that quietly dictates your choices, a version of yourself you’re trying to outgrow, or a belief that God expects more from you than He has ever asked. Maybe you’ve held on to anger, resentment, denial, or self-loathing for far too long. These are the weights the Book of Hebrews speaks of in its pivotal verse, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” These “things” are what hinder us, what drag us down, what keep us from real transformation.
Laying something down is rarely dramatic. It is often quiet, unseen, and deeply personal. It happens in moments of prayer, in honest confession, in the simple decision to trust God with what we cannot control. And yet, these small acts of release can reshape an entire year.
As we step into this new year, perhaps renewal begins not with clenched fists and ambitious plans, but with open hands. Hands willing to release the past. Hands ready to receive grace. Hands free enough to follow where God leads.
Here’s an idea: get several smooth stones and write on them the things you need to lay down. Now go and throw them in a creek, a river, a pond, just somewhere they can float down and be laid to rest, never to be seen again.
Because sometimes the most faithful way forward is first learning what to lay down.
Written by Rev. Allyson Johnson, Women's Pastor at St. Andrew
With every New Year comes a time of renewal. We immediately think of resolutions, new ways we are going to be healthier, wealthier, and wiser. Everything around us tells us we need to write out goals, plan for more, get healthier, and increase the meaning of our existence. Make the most of what we’ve got, so to speak.
But what if renewal for us is not so much something new, but something left behind. What if we realize we need to let go of the things of the past, the things that are holding us back, the beliefs that just don’t move us forward. This “laying down” of the burdens we carry may be the key to a whole new you, and a whole New Year.
The language of Scripture is filled not with calls to do more, but with invitations to release. Jesus does not begin by handing out self-improvement plans; He begins by saying, “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” Rest assumes that something heavy has been carried for too long. It suggests that before anything new can be received, something old must be set down.
Throughout the Bible, transformation often begins with surrender. Moses removes his sandals before stepping onto holy ground. The disciples leave their nets before following Jesus. Paul counts his former achievements as loss in order to gain something greater. Again and again, God’s work of renewal starts with subtraction, not addition.
Perhaps the question for this new year is not, "What should I strive for?" but "What am I still holding onto?". Maybe it’s a failure that continues to define you, a fear that quietly dictates your choices, a version of yourself you’re trying to outgrow, or a belief that God expects more from you than He has ever asked. Maybe you’ve held on to anger, resentment, denial, or self-loathing for far too long. These are the weights the Book of Hebrews speaks of in its pivotal verse, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” These “things” are what hinder us, what drag us down, what keep us from real transformation.
Laying something down is rarely dramatic. It is often quiet, unseen, and deeply personal. It happens in moments of prayer, in honest confession, in the simple decision to trust God with what we cannot control. And yet, these small acts of release can reshape an entire year.
As we step into this new year, perhaps renewal begins not with clenched fists and ambitious plans, but with open hands. Hands willing to release the past. Hands ready to receive grace. Hands free enough to follow where God leads.
Here’s an idea: get several smooth stones and write on them the things you need to lay down. Now go and throw them in a creek, a river, a pond, just somewhere they can float down and be laid to rest, never to be seen again.
Because sometimes the most faithful way forward is first learning what to lay down.
Written by Rev. Allyson Johnson, Women's Pastor at St. Andrew
Renewal Begins With Release
What if renewal for us is not so much something new, but something left behind?
With every New Year comes a time of renewal. We immediately think of resolutions, new ways we are going to be healthier, wealthier, and wiser. Everything around us tells us we need to write out goals, plan for more, get healthier, and increase the meaning of our existence. Make the most of what we’ve got, so to speak.
But what if renewal for us is not so much something new, but something left behind. What if we realize we need to let go of the things of the past, the things that are holding us back, the beliefs that just don’t move us forward. This “laying down” of the burdens we carry may be the key to a whole new you, and a whole New Year.
The language of Scripture is filled not with calls to do more, but with invitations to release. Jesus does not begin by handing out self-improvement plans; He begins by saying, “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” Rest assumes that something heavy has been carried for too long. It suggests that before anything new can be received, something old must be set down.
Throughout the Bible, transformation often begins with surrender. Moses removes his sandals before stepping onto holy ground. The disciples leave their nets before following Jesus. Paul counts his former achievements as loss in order to gain something greater. Again and again, God’s work of renewal starts with subtraction, not addition.
Perhaps the question for this new year is not, "What should I strive for?" but "What am I still holding onto?". Maybe it’s a failure that continues to define you, a fear that quietly dictates your choices, a version of yourself you’re trying to outgrow, or a belief that God expects more from you than He has ever asked. Maybe you’ve held on to anger, resentment, denial, or self-loathing for far too long. These are the weights the Book of Hebrews speaks of in its pivotal verse, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” These “things” are what hinder us, what drag us down, what keep us from real transformation.
Laying something down is rarely dramatic. It is often quiet, unseen, and deeply personal. It happens in moments of prayer, in honest confession, in the simple decision to trust God with what we cannot control. And yet, these small acts of release can reshape an entire year.
As we step into this new year, perhaps renewal begins not with clenched fists and ambitious plans, but with open hands. Hands willing to release the past. Hands ready to receive grace. Hands free enough to follow where God leads.
Here’s an idea: get several smooth stones and write on them the things you need to lay down. Now go and throw them in a creek, a river, a pond, just somewhere they can float down and be laid to rest, never to be seen again.
Because sometimes the most faithful way forward is first learning what to lay down.
Written by Rev. Allyson Johnson, Women's Pastor at St. Andrew
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