To riff off of the late Eugene Peterson, I think I’m finally starting to understand that life – including discipleship, specifically – requires the committed and faithful act of “showing up”, day after day. As much as I tend to wish otherwise, there aren’t really any shortcuts. Shortcuts tend to come at the expense of either

a) a shallow, unsustainable, temporary faux “victories”, or
b) unintended complications that create as much (or more) distress than that which originally was the impetus for pursuing change in the first place.

The act of discipline – whether in terms of budgeting, diet, mindful reflection, daily laying bare one’s soul before the Creator, physical exercise, scripture memorization, or pursuing a posture of humility – is hard. In the short term, it’s costly. I’d rather stay in bed a little longer than have a morning quiet time with the God of the universe and His word. I’d rather impulse buy whatever latest item on Amazon I become convinced I need in the moment. I’d rather sit in my recliner and stream YouTube videos during and after dinner (even though they may be worthwhile topics related to faith) than take the time to sit down and soberly reflect on my day, what went well, and where I fell short in my actions, words, or attitudes.

I have a tendency to focus in on myself, and often in not particularly productive ways. And that tends to be where I go wrong.

Any time is a good time to address those areas that could use improvement. But the beginning of a new year sort of brings all that stuff into focus. And while there’s much room for improvement, I know from experience that I can’t redeem myself. Messed up as I am, I can at least see through the cultural lie that “I am enough”. If I was enough, there would be no personal shortcoming to remedy. The struggles, failures, and disappointments that I – and that we all – perpetually face will forever remind us that we are not enough.

Now, that might seem like bad news. But it’s actually good news. It’s good news to the extent that when I can align myself with Reality, it points me to the One who is enough. To be clear, I don’t mean “enough” in the sense of helping me achieve some sort of “self-actualization”, which once again brings the focus back upon me and perpetuates the inward and downward spiral. No, this “enough” actually helps me achieve “actualization”. It helps me on the long road of becoming who I was created to be.

Fifteen or so years ago, on a t-shirt I designed for a youth group mission trip, I was led to put the phrase “It’s Not About Me”. I’m finding that it’s a phrase I need to be reminded of every day. I am not my own. I was bought at a price. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) And so I’m counting on divine assistance for this “long obedience” in multiple areas of my life as 2026 unfolds…