Thursday, January 1, 2026

-

 

The Year of the Tilted Halo: Finding Grace in the Mess

As I sat down today, January 1, 2026, to reflect on the dawn of a new year, I couldn't help but laugh at the version of myself from just a few days ago.

I had spent the final weeks of 2025 on a relentless mission. I was determined that before the ball dropped, every baseboard would be scrubbed, every junk drawer organized, and every speck of dust banished. My logic was spiritual: God pours His blessings into new wine skins. I convinced myself that if my physical environment wasn’t pristine, I wasn’t "ready" for what He had in store.

I was channeling my inner Martha, convinced that perfection was the prerequisite for favor. But as it turns out, God has a beautiful sense of humor—and a much better perspective on "cleanliness" than I do.

When "Life" Meets the To-Do List

The more I demanded perfection from myself, the more Life decided to throw a monkey wrench into my plans. For every room I sanitized, a new "curve ball" seemed to fly my way—unexpected phone calls, minor household disasters, and the general chaos of being human.

By New Year’s Eve, I realized something profound:

  • My physical house was spotless.

  • My spiritual house was exhausted.

I had spent so much energy ducking and dodging the messiness of reality that I had forgotten how to actually be in the presence of the One I was cleaning for. I was so busy preparing the "wine skin" that I was too tired to enjoy the wine.

Blessing the "Tilted Halo"

In His ultimate wisdom, God used my frantic cleaning spree to show me the error of my ways. He reminded me that while He values order and structure, He isn't waiting for me to be "fixed" before He moves in my life.

The truth I’m carrying into 2026 is this: God can and does bless my wacky, quirky, moody, and imperfect self. He doesn’t need a sterile environment to work a miracle. In fact, He often prefers the places where we’ve reached the end of ourselves. I’ve realized that He is thrilled to bless my "tilted halo" ass because it’s in my moments of weakness that His strength is most visible.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" — 2 Corinthians 12:9

Lessons for the New Year

As we step into 2026, I’m putting down the spiritual feather duster. If you’re starting this year feeling a little "unpolished," take heart:

  1. Imperfection isn't a barrier to blessing. You don't have to be "put together" to be loved.

  2. Rest is a form of faith. Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is stop scrubbing and start receiving.

  3. The "Wine skin" is your heart, not your house. God is looking for a heart that is open, not a life that is perfect.

Here’s to a year of less "Martha-ing" and more leaning into the messy, beautiful grace that meets us exactly where we are.

Bye for now!

Happy 2026

xoxo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saturday, June 24, 2023

-
 Hey there! Sorry I haven't been around lately.  I  was kinda going through a depressive phase.  Sleeping a lot.  Only concerned about hygiene when I had to go to work. I don't know really what triggered it.  Been feeling exhausted lately.  But since then I've been on the proper dosage of medicine.  It took a minute, but I got there.   Now I'm bathing and even applying makeup just because. It had much to do with God's guidance, getting involved in volunteer projects at church and much praying to God to help me get out of bed. I'm not getting involved in my husband's business or all up into the cracks of what is not mine.  My last depressive phase lasted about 2 months.  Ugh. I lost my appetite and dropped weight, I didn't think I would look good in makeup anymore . Then slowly, day by day I started getting out of bed earlier and earlier.  I got my hair done, I applied makeup and thought: " not too bad for almost 53." My hu...
Read more

Monday, July 24, 2023

-
 Hey there! Wow, this month has been a whirlwind of my former friends depression and fear!  I couldn't log anymore entries this month because I was severely depressed.  Then I realized the root of my depression.  I came to believe that it was the constant streaming of different channels.  I was becoming addicted to them hoping to distract myself from my moods.   While I think streaming is convenient and awesome, I was abusing it to lift my moods. The time I could have spent writing my book or blogging I instead spent on entertaining fears and depression.   I'm holding off on my book and Web site in lieu of getting-out-of-my comfort zone activities, like getting out of bed during the day to pray for God's will in my life.   When I hear His answers, I will resume less important activities. I might even reconsider going back to my streaming TV, but I want to be in a better space to do so. I reduced my watching to only one channel and m...
Read more

Friday, April 14, 2023

-
 Hey there. ***TRIGGER WARNING*** Yesterday was a bad day for me.   Let's be real.   Anxiety took over, or I allowed it to take over.  I wasn't feeling myself at all.  I called my therapist and my psychiatrist, and then my spiritual leaders. This is how anxiety affects me.   For me, anxiety is a chemical thing where I have my good days and I have my bad days.   Yesterday was one of those bad days.  One where my outlook on life stinks and everything seems to be happening at once.  I get overwhelmed. I took my bedtime meds, and now I feel much better that I got some well deserved rest. Despite how we feel, life happens and will continue to happen.  Sometimes faking it until you make it doesn't work, especially when I feel like I'm carrying the very depths of Hell inside me.  My insides churn while I smile on the outside, so people don't see how I'm really feeling. I received a hug from a friend, and my husband John...
Read more