Following the holidays, it doesn’t take long for exercise, diet, and nutrition ads to come out in full force, encouraging us to consider new habits for the new year. “Its a new year! It’s time for a new ‘you’!” ads seem to suggest. Which, isn’t all bad. Sometimes we need a fresh start in order to critically think about what we’ve been doing (or not doing) and how that impacts who we are and our relationships with others.
But even as you consider possible resolutions or habits that might need to be tweaked, consider this: Jesus doesn’t desire a “new you.” You don’t need to be new and improved like the greatest Tide pod that just came out on the market. Instead, Jesus simply desires you to be the best “you” that you can be. And in Jesus’ eyes, that’s enough. In fact, it’s more than enough: it’s considered beautiful and honored and precious. Because as baptized children of God, we have already been made new by the grace of our Lord Jesus who came to live among us.
So as we enter into the second full week of 2023, don’t feel as though you need to be someone you’re not. Rather, consider habits that would help you be even more who God already created YOU to be. But don’t think you have to do all that on your own. Instead, dedicate yourself to join with others in community as we remind each other of our identity in Christ, and push each other to grow more and more as disciples of Jesus.