Happy 2021.
It is with gratitude that I am able to write you those two words after the 365-day marathon that was the year 2020. Although I’m sure we all have our own unique stories to share, I’m even more certain that we are all simply trying to forget and move on.
But rather than trying to forget the pain we may have felt during the past year, let us try to remember. Even if just for a few seconds, recall all that you felt with the entirety of your heart—a beating vessel given to you by the same hand that shaped you in His image.
Remind yourself of His mercy, and remember His faithfulness.
“Always, we begin again.”
The coming of a new year also means the coming of a new set of resolutions.
Within this time of quarantine that list may look a bit different, and perhaps even shorter. But it does not diminish the importance of getting closer to the joy that God desires for us to receive. Despite the pandemic, His love does not change. And our mission to become saints does not either.
So here are a few suggestions to help you rediscover that upward path again, and draw closer to the overflowing well that is His heart.
1. Start a journal
“Grant, Lord, that I may know myself so that I may know thee.”
Saint Augustine
Whether it’s from Dollarama or Muji, invest in a journal. Document the happenings of your daily life regardless of how mundane they may seem. Write about how you feel and why you may feel that way. Keep track of your progress. Whether it feels like life is moving fast or not moving at all—remember that every day you wake up and are alive is a blessing in and of itself. Journaling is a good way to observe and appreciate everything you’ve been given and the abundance of goodness that God has bestowed upon you and continues to do so at this very moment. 
2. Take a breather
“The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still.”
Exodus 14:14
The notion that if you aren’t moving fast enough, you aren’t moving at all. 2020 has undoubtedly been the most challenging year in adapting to the world as it is, and with that shift came progressing onward with new hurdles and little certainty. As we enter the new year with the same sense of question, desire for growth and inevitable undulation, it’s important to remember that rest doesn’t equate to stagnation. Take it easy. Rest doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re incapable of pushing forward, but rather is an opportunity to live freer and stronger, acknowledging that God is moving in our lives when we can’t easily do so. Slow down and rest in Him, your battles have already been won.
3. Read a book
“When we pray we speak to God; but when we read, God speaks to us.”
Saint Jerome
With social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter dominating the content we receive on a regular basis, let’s try to put the phone down once in a while. Instead of spending time scrolling down an endless page of tweets, find a book in your room and start reading. Let yourself be whisked away by the story until you’ve forgotten where you are. Be a child again. Allow your imagination to breathe. Perhaps God will speak to you through the author’s words, and the silence of reading will help you to hear His voice. 
4. Be present
“Saints are made because a person has shown up again and again.”
Father Mike Schmitz
More often than not, we impatiently wait for our suffering to pass. However, one thing that 2020 presented to me was the choice to be present, even in the seasons where our faith may waver. God is present in every season of our lives. It is the effort to bring ourselves to fully live, navigate and overcome our suffering that allows us to grow, not the perfection of that process; following through with our efforts to be present, especially in times we most don’t want to, takes us a step further into His plan. Be present—whether a season of sunshine or storms—for we are brought to greater heights when each season is lived as our first, last and only.
5. Contact a friend
“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”
Saint Thomas Aquinas
When it seems like you are all alone in your isolation, message a friend. Whether it’s someone you’ve known all of your life or a classmate you met last semester, let them know that you are thinking about them. By reaching out you remind them that they are not forgotten. That just because people feel distant as ever, it does not mean that they are loved any less. With a simple “hello” or “how have you been?” you extend God’s mercy to them and bring His peace upon yourself, too. Let us try to ease the burdens of those close to our hearts, especially during this pandemic.
6. Accountability
“Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.”
Proverbs 27:17
Though it has become essential to physically isolate ourselves from others, it shouldn’t hinder our emotional presence for those we love. The journey, regardless of trial or triumph, is communal. In order to accept our frailty and to function to our fullest, we must allow others to keep accountable for our humanity and to be accountable for theirs. It is through the need for loving correction that we are able to advance our desire for holiness and in time, are sanctified through those who’ve fought for our souls. Be present for others and look for redemption in the midst of their own struggles; strive to extend an acceptance that meets them where they are. Unconditional embrace goes hand in hand with honest correction, and fortifies our willingness to save souls and be saved.
7. Set a routine
“Everyday I say to myself, today I will begin.”
Saint Anthony The Great
By waking up at the same time every morning and heading to bed at the same time every night, we free up a path for God to enter our lives. Rather than trying to squeeze Him into the disorderliness of our routine, let us prepare a way for Him to arrive and a place for Him to stay. Strive to rid all the bad habits we may have developed over this time and remind ourselves that our worst does not define us. It is His infinite love and mercy that does. For He did not create us only to love us, but also to help us. With patience and gratitude, let us free the path by removing the clutter in our hearts. So that when we hear Him knocking, we will be ready to open the door.
As we step into the new year, my hope is that we continue to search for Him in the midst of our world’s current state. Though the days may feel repetitive and uncertain, absorb God’s presence in every breathing moment. More than anything, He desires for you to know the extent to which you are seen and loved—a love that sees no boundaries.
This list does not nearly encompass the infinite amount of ways that He works and moves in our lives, but serves as a reminder that we are loved by a faithful God. In the midst of what our world is and what we hope for it to be, let us move with our hearts and minds racing for and with You.
Here’s to the many different ways we will be bent and broken for God to personally pursue us this year. Onwards and upwards, to a year that will be made His.
Kady Viernes – Sister Youth Communications Press Head | CFC-Youth Pacific Region
Rave Quidasol – Brother Youth Communications Press Head | CFC-Youth Pacific Region
