Spiritual Reset or Soul Reckoning? A January Reflection

The excitement around the New Year tends to hit differently, especially when you’re a woman over 40 (LOL). I get it. We’re all anxiously awaiting a season of new expectations, renewed mindsets, fresh or reframed goals, and a revitalized momentum to go after all the things God has placed before us. It all sounds wonderful, exciting, and even ambitious. And there is nothing wrong with that energy. Period.

What I do want to offer is nuance.

This time of year can quietly confuse eagerness with toxic positivity. For many, it also brings the impending weight of realizing goals weren’t met, momentum ran out, and the same cycle of setting intentions and falling short may be repeating itself. January can feel hopeful and heavy at the same time.

This isn’t pessimism. It’s honesty.

Whenever I’m privileged to share my soul through writing, I want to create an entry point into the kind of soul work that often gets glossed over during this season. Root work invites us to sit with our authentic, sometimes messy selves and examine what’s happening beneath the surface. As we enter a new year—or close out a demanding season—we must slow down long enough to reflect on how the salvation of the Lord has moved in our lives, and where we may have gotten in our own way.

Before rushing into what’s next, here are a few reflection points to sit with through journaling, quiet time, or stillness as you consider the year ahead.

What mindset shifts do I have to be grateful for this year?

Think about how you used to think about hardship, conflict, challenges, and people. If you once reacted quickly to offense but now pause, pray, or sit before responding, that’s growth. Don’t shortchange yourself. That deserves celebratory gratitude.

When did I allow consulting with God to be a top priority in my life?

This includes relationships, work, finances, decisions, and goals. Seeking God first is a posture of obedience that flows from time spent with Him. If you found yourself praying more or including God earlier in your decision-making, that’s growth. Celebrate that too.

Gratitude is both a spiritual and physiological tool with profound impact on the body and the soul. Gratitude lowers heart rate and stress levels, improves sleep, reduces cortisol, and releases dopamine and serotonin in the brain. In simple terms, it reshapes how we think and experience life.God knew this when He inspired Scripture to say, Enter His gates with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4), and Let your roots grow down into Him and overflow with thankfulness (Colossians 2:7). Gratitude isn’t optional. It’s foundational.

And speaking of roots.

Going into a new year requires us to examine our root system through the lens of the Holy Spirit. This starts with prayer—asking God to reveal blindspots we missed, minimized, or didn’t fully understand the impact of. This is why I love calling myself a Blindspot Strategist. I continually sit with God asking Him to show me myself—the small foxes, matters of the heart, and subtle barriers that limit intimacy with Him.

Here are a few questions to consider honestly:

Where have I limited the glory of God in my life because of pride or ignorance?

Where did I partially obey God or delay obedience? Partial obedience is still disobedience. 

Where did fear masquerade as “timing,” even though God kept nudging you forward?

When I hear that (and reflect on when I’ve said that), oftentimes what is at the root is actually fear and not this false sense of connection with divine timing. God has told you to do write that book, start that business, minister to those family members, take that class, or whatever “it” is over and over, but could it actually be that you’re just scared it won’t work or fear what others will say about you.  The fear of visibility can knock people off their post because they even get started because it is more comfortable to hide behind the scenes rather than to exercise a holy boldness of obedience and do the thing with God, and not fear, as your guide and your God.  The quicker you reckon with that truth, the faster you can remove the scales and the limits and see God’s hand at work. 

In what relationships do I experience consistent, unresolved conflict?

Don’t minimize this. If you’re unsure, ask trusted people and simply listen. Take notes. Then take it to God and wise counsel without getting defensive. Resist the desire to explain yourself to others or even yourself. 

What truth can I extract from what loved ones are telling me about myself that I have refused to dig deeper and do the real soul work with God and the help of wise counsel? What feedback about myself have I resisted exploring more deeply?

Pride can trick us into believing we only need God’s voice and no other perspective. That belief often leads to isolation. God speaks through people too.

A quick note here: don’t be afraid to ask loved ones—people who will tell you the truth with love—for feedback. Our brains are limited, and our perspectives are shaped by immersion in our own lives. Yes, God speaks to you directly, but He also equips others with wisdom and discernment. There is safety in wise counsel. Choose wisely.

Our brains naturally resist change. New habits, new thinking, new decisions, even healthy ones, can feel uncomfortable because the brain prioritizes safety and survival. This is why change is hard, even when it’s good. Growth often feels threatening to the nervous system, yet for believers, growth is necessary. Retroactive comfort can quietly become the enemy of obedience.

January brings excitement for change, but sustainability requires clarity. We must be honest about what aligned with God this year and what didn’t. Clarity is the key. Courage is the step.

Take time to sit still. Reflect on what God has already done in you. Notice what you’ve actually lived into, not just what you planned. Identify the blind spots that kept you from experiencing more of the newness God has already placed within you.

Because here’s the truth: God isn’t scrambling to do something new. He stands outside of time. The work is already done. Our responsibility is alignment—bringing our lives, goals, rhythms, and plans into agreement with what He has already written.No good thing will our loving Father withhold from us. But freedom requires movement—away from stagnation, fear, and bondage, and back toward the original design God established before He formed us in our mother’s womb.

Your change is on the other side of your clarity.

And your clarity is waiting for your courage.  You can do this…and God is right there with you waiting to be invited into the process.  Allow Him in and watch how He helps you perceive the new thing He has done in you and is inviting you to walk therein. 

Selah.