Trusting God As You Turn The Page

It might sound silly, but one of my favorite things about January is putting up a wall calendar for the new year. I almost always choose one that has beautiful pictures of the seasons. I find them so calming and love having a different photo to be surprised by each month. I do use the calendar on my phone when I need to schedule things while out and about, but I really enjoy having the visual of the whole month laid out right there in front of me as organized as I can make it. I also love giving my children a calendar that reflects their interests as a Christmas gift each year and they really look forward to seeing what it will be. One prefers insects and amphibians, the other loves dogs, and the third adores old trucks and race cars. Time will tell what our three-year-old enjoys, but I can’t wait to start finding calendars that are unique to him.

I imagine that my mom’s love of calendars rubbed off on me seeing as she has a different themed calendar in almost every room of her house! Why is that? Aside from staying organized, what is it that moms still enjoy about them when we have easy access to the schedule on our phones 24/7? I think the answer lies in the turning of the page. There is something so refreshing about flipping that calendar page to the next month, or the next year, not knowing what lies ahead. Hoping it will be a new start, anticipating a coming holiday, birthday, or due date, or praying that it will be a better month than the one you just went through. For me, it feels like a great time for reflection, even if it’s brief. What are my hopes for the month? Or for the year as I put up the calendar for 2025? I’m not a big resolution person, but there are usually some overarching themes tugging at my heart as I look back on the year we just made our way through. Shortcomings that I hope to improve upon, health problems that need solutions, or even little things I’m hoping to implement to make my life or my family’s lives a little bit more peaceful. I pray about these things as I turn the page, and it helps me feel more focused as we embark on a new month.

As every mom knows, some months are pure insanity! Even the ordinary, day to day activities and appointments without unexpected things popping up can be a wild rollercoaster. There are months that go by so fast that it feels like we missed them and accidentally skipped to the next page. My husband laughed last spring when I had to color-code the activities for each of our kids in order to keep them more organized. Three different sports schedules and piano practice mixed in with appointments and a toddler nap schedule was a lot to juggle. When it was time to turn that page from May to June, I was so relieved!

Sometimes, for our human minds, it’s hard to wait and see what each month or year brings us. Maybe we sigh with contentment at a surprisingly successful month that’s passed, or exhale in deep relief that a difficult month is at last behind us.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 This verse is such a beautiful reminder that we don’t know what the plan is-but God does. That can be unbelievably frustrating sometimes, can’t it? Frustrating and comforting all at the same time. We can make our plans, do our best to organize and coordinate, but at the end of the day we know that it’s His will being done, not our own. That is something we can choose to find comfort in, no matter how our weeks or months are going.

Getty | Delmaine Donson

“He makes us wait. He keeps us on purpose in the dark. He makes us walk when we want to run, sit still when we want to walk, for He has things to do in our souls that we are not interested in.” -Elisabeth Elliot

I pray that this January you will be filled with hope. Hope for the big things like healing of illnesses and relationships, hope for the little things like snow days and cozy moments with family. To the moms going through exceptionally difficult, painful, or uncertain times…I pray that you will be filled with rest and relief. That each month that passes this year you will feel renewed strength and encouragement.

If you haven’t yet found a wall calendar for the year, maybe order one and put it somewhere you’ll see it often. It might be just a calendar, but it can also be used as a reflection of each month we’ve been given. The very hard months, the joyous months, and everything in between. Be inspired by the seasons that God created and show your kids what beauty each one holds. Even if some of them (Hello, January and February!) might be on the soggy side, especially here in the Pacific Northwest!

Sometimes my older kids will rant about our weather when they’re feeling grumpy. Even though they don’t like to hear it at the time and I’m often met with an eye roll, I hope my words will someday echo in their minds when they’re feeling frustrated. I tell them that God made every season for reason, and that we need one to get to the other. If he made it, it must be good. Maybe it’s not our favorite, but it is good. Just like a hard month or a difficult season in our lives, they are days that He has made which means there is good in them. Ask the Lord to help you see it. As you flip those calendar pages this year, trust your schedule and your plans to him-every crazy second of them!