If the Pressure of the New Year Is Too Much…

I don’t know how your last week has gone, but let me paint you a word picture of how I imagine it could’ve gone:

It’s December 31st at 11:00pm, and after scrolling social media and being knee deep into everyone’s yearly highlight reel recap, suddenly you find yourself daydreaming, deep thinking, and cutting clips out of magazines to craft a “Perfect Life” Vision Board (or maybe you’ve caught up with the times and went a different route to create a digital one, shoutout Pinterest!) Within an hour, by the time the clock strikes midnight and the new year is ushered in with cheers, you have mountain high goals of how to get from where you are now to your ideal life.

But somewhere between the “new year, new me” posts and the endless talk of productivity and potential, the weighty pressure sets in, and though it’s only January 5th, you already feel behind. Like if you haven’t seen progress yet within the 120 hours since 2026 began, you’ve somehow missed your chance and failed.

If that’s you — take a deep breath (and another one after that if you need).

Here’s the good news: you’re not behind.

The truth is, God isn’t waiting for your perfect plan or the “perfect you.” He’s waiting for your presence.

When we put pressure on ourselves to make the year perfect, we often miss what God’s actually trying to do in the process — the shaping of our hearts, not just our habits and goals. Scripture reminds us that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), not every January 1st. That means every day is a fresh start, not just the first one of the calendar year.

So instead of striving to become a “new you,” what if this year you simply focused on being with Him?

Being with Him…in the messy middle of goals that don’t go as planned.
Being with Him…when you’re unsure what’s next.
Being with Him…when you don’t feel productive or put-together enough.

Because the real transformation — the kind that lasts — doesn’t come from our striving. It comes from surrender, from resting in his presence, and from walking with him in your day to day, regardless of how perfect you are.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t need to hustle your way into God’s favor or success. He’s already walking with you — gently shaping your steps, one day at a time.

So here’s to a new year not defined by perfection, but by presence.
Not by pressure, but by peace.
And not by how much you achieve, but by how deeply you know the One who leads you.