*I seem to do my best pondering with an herbal latte in hand.*

Growth doesn’t need to rush to be real. This is the simple truth I keep coming back to.

So much of what we’re taught, especially at the beginning of a new year—is that our progress should be obvious, fast, and measurable to be productive. Even if it’s not attainable or obtainable. And most defintely- if growth is real, it should show.

Quickly. Loudly.

But I am finding that Scripture keeps telling me a quieter story. One where fruit grows slowly. Where obedience often looks ordinary and found in the mundane. Where faithfulness isn’t loud. And our performance doesn’t measure our worth. So, that’s the story I’m sticking to these days, too. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, now. I haven’t always believed this to be true, but the pace I was trying to keep was slowly killing me. Sounds dramatic in my head as I’m typing it, but it’s the truth. My nervous system couldn’t handle it any longer. My body had been keeping the score. Dysregulation had become my daily fight or flight, and that’s most definitely not a cool flex. Thankfully, we can get back into regulation.

What I am learning is that soft and steady is still brave. Soft and strong can coexist. And work and rest, are both true. I claimed this month to be gentle for me and you after asking God for my word of the year and He came back with the word Contentment. I can tell you that the amount of wrestling that took place after that word was whispered in my spirit wasn’t pretty— looked like a Friday night fight night in my bedroom. He won. He always does. For that, I’m thanful. He surely knows best, even when we can’t see it yet:) Gentle Contentment, ok. Neither word was on my bingo card for 2026, but I’m trusting Him for me and for you. I was anything but, and didn’t know how to be— if I’m being honest.( And I am:) But Gentle January has never really been about the calendar. It’s been about choosing a different pace, one that doesn’t require bracing, rushing, or abandoning yourself just to stay faithful. We don’t have to lose ourselves trying to keep up with where everyone else is. That’s so 2025.What I wish I would have not just known but believed sooner, is that following God’s plan for my life is truly the only perfect path. His timing is the only perfect time, it’s always right. And I can embrace where my feet are planted while trusting Him for change. This season will end too- In His time, not mine.

If you’re arriving later than her, you’re not behind. If you’re still tired, you’re not failing. And growth doesn’t need to hurry to be real.

Learning to Live Without Bracing If Gentle January has been about anything so far, it’s been this: learning to live without bracing.

Bracing for what’s next. Bracing to keep up. Bracing so we don’t fall behind.

But the body can’t stay braced forever, and neither can the soul. We can’t stay in a constant state of bracing for impact. The next shoe will always drop, but we don’t have to look for it to as pain or punishment of what’s coming next. So this week, instead of asking What should I add? What should I be doing next? I’ve been asking a gentler question:What helps me stay present?

Not what impresses. Not what optimizes time. Not what proves I’m doing this year “right.”

Just what steadies me.

And one thing I know—Showing up gently can feel unfamiliar at first. Sometimes even uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, it usually means you’re unlearning urgency.

A Simple Pause If it helps, try this today:

Inhale slowly through your nose. Exhale a little longer than you inhale. And quietly remind yourself: I don’t have to rush to be faithful. That’s enough for today.

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Listening to your body. Listening to your soul. Listening for God in the places you’ve learned to rush past.

This month, we’re not trying to reinvent ourselves the way we’ve felt pressured to in years past. A new rhythm doesn’t have to mean a new you. There’s nothing here to prove. No need to apologize for who you are. No expectation that you explain or defend your boundaries. We’re letting go of the need to “win” the new year. And we’re learning more gently and contently —how to stay. To notice where we are. To meet this moment without rushing past it. There’s no pressure to arrive here fully formed, only an open invitation to rest where you already are.

And If you still feel the pull to rush, to prove, or to overexplain, there’s no shame here. We’re not undoing years of formation overnight. We’re learning, together, how to loosen our grip and stay present a little longer. You don’t have to agree with all of this yet. You’re welcome to sit with it. This isn’t a rule to follow or a line to cross. It’s simply a door being held open-one that says you don’t have to catch up, fix yourself, or move faster to belong. Take what steadies you. Leave the rest.

You’re allowed to stay.

Gentle January- can you believe we are in the third week of the new year already? I cannot! As I was trying to say, it has been teaching me that contentment isn’t resignation, it’s courage. It’s choosing to stay with what’s real instead of rushing toward what’s next. Contentment doesn’t mean we stop longing or growing; it means we stop bracing. It’s learning how to be soft enough to notice our lives, strong enough to tell the truth about where we are, and steady enough to keep going, even when we’re afraid. And now that I look at it this way, I don’t know why I wrestled with Him so hard. He knew all along:)

And this will be the posture I’m practicing this entire year, not just this month. Gentle and Content. In my Soft Girl era. Strong. Steady and Brave, even when I’m afraid. Not shrinking back. Not pushing harder. But staying present with God and myself, trusting that faithfulness can be quiet and brave at the same time. Contentment, for me, looks like continuing without force and choosing a pace my body can live inside and a rhythm my soul doesn’t have to defend. That’s my hope for you too!

That’s the heart behind Gentle January. And honestly, That’s why I created us a Gentle January Resource & Reflection Guide — not as a routine to master, but as a rhythm to return to.

Inside, you’ll find:

• A gentle daily rhythm you can come back to on overwhelmed days

• Weekly reflections for staying present without losing yourself

• A sleep guide that treats rest as sacred, not earned

• A breath prayer + mantra card to carry with you when your body feels louder than your faith

This guide is slow on purpose. There’s space to breathe. There’s room to be honest. There’s no pressure to “keep up.”

If January has already felt heavy… If you’re tired of striving disguised as faithfulness… If your body is asking for mercy before momentum…

This is for you.

You don’t have to rush your healing. You don’t have to abandon yourself to belong.

You’re allowed to move forward, even if you’re still in the messy middle.

Soft. Strong. Brave, and Steady — one breath at a time.

A softer way to begin. This rhythm is not here to fix you or optimize your life. It’s an invitation to begin the year without urgency. A new year doesn’t ask us to rush forward, it asks us to listen. To notice what our bodies and souls are carrying. To choose a steadier pace instead of a sharper one. This is a rhythm for real life. For days that feel grounded and days that feel unraveled. For consistency when it’s available, and grace when it’s not.

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A Gentle Rhythm

1. Begin slower than you think you should

Before setting goals, we notice. Before planning, we pause. We let honesty come before ambition.

2. Choose one or two grounding practices

Not a full routine—just anchors. A breath prayer. Morning light. A short walk. One page of journaling.

Scripture read slowly, without pressure to produce insight. Enough to remind your body and soul: you are safe.

3. End the day gently

Lower the lights. Soften the noise. Release the need to finish strong. Sleep becomes an act of trust, not discipline.

4. Hold plans loosely

Goals are allowed. So is flexibility. We practice obedience without urgency— (Obligation is not obedience. Depletion is not devotion)

listening before deciding.

5. Return instead of restart

Missing a day isn’t failure. It’s simply an invitation to come back. Gentleness assumes grace.

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Our January Refrain

Not perfection.

Just presence.

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Most of us weren’t taught regulation. We were taught productivity, pressure, and pushing through. So no—you’re not broken. Your body just learned survival. If this feels tender, you’re not weak. You’re not behind. Your body has been trying to keep you safe.

This is wisdom. This is mercy in action.

A Gentle Invitation

Instead of pushing forward this week, you might ask:

• Which rhythms help my body exhale?

• Where am I carrying urgency that isn’t mine?

• What would obedience look like if it were rooted in trust instead of pressure?

There’s no deadline on these questions. You’re allowed to take your time.

Gentle January isn’t about doing less for the sake of doing less. It’s about continuing—without harm. Underneath so much of our striving is a quieter question: Can I keep going without losing myself? The world often answers no. Jesus answers differently. Faith doesn’t have to feel like pressure. Consistency doesn’t have to cost you yourself.

You’re allowed to stay.

Carrying This Forward

As January comes to a close, nothing needs to reset. We’re not starting over. We’re continuing. Carrying the same gentle rhythm forward. The same invitation to live soft, strong, and steady in real life: in work, in relationships, in ordinary days that don’t need to prove anything. What we’re practicing isn’t about more effort. It’s about a steadier way of staying present, with God and with ourselves.

Not perfection. Just presence.

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NEW — Listen + Download (quiet, optional)

If you want to stay with this theme a little longer:

•🎧 This week’s What About This? episode is a gentle, honest conversation about work, rest, nervous system care, and continuing without self-abandonment.

In this episode, we talk about the difference between devotion and depletion, why spiritual burnout often shows up in the nervous system, and how anxiety isn’t always a faith problem. Faithful women are exhausted — not because their faith is weak, but because their bodies have been carrying too much for too long. Together, we explore what Scripture actually shows us about rest, regulation, and staying faithful without living in survival mode.

This is a gentle, theologically grounded conversation for women who love Jesus, are still showing up, and are quietly worn in their bodies and bones. We’ll talk about working without urgency, resting without guilt, and finding a softer, stronger, steadier rhythm that doesn’t require quitting your life to heal.

If you’re tired but still faithful, this episode is for you.

Listen Here.

• The Gentle January resource guide includes breath prayers and a simple daily rhythm you can return to anytime. This reflection explores a gentler rhythm of faith — one that honors the body, steadies the soul, and allows us to stay present without losing ourselves in our devotion.

Inside you’ll find:

• A simple daily rhythm (Soft / Strong / Steady)

• A companion podcast episode

• A Gentle January reflection + resource guide(Workbook)

• And an invitation to keep going — without force

Gen X- but a grandma millenial at heart.

👉 Download the Gentle January Reflection & Resource Guide here (And come back to it as often as you need. That’s the point.)

Gentle January Reflection + Workbook

No catching up required. Take what nourishes you. Leave the rest.

A Gentle January Rhythm (Kept Simple) If structure feels supportive, this is the rhythm I’m holding right now:

Soft — begin with safety One pause. One breath. No fixing.

Strong — tell the truth gently Scripture that steadies, not pressures.

Steady — choose what you can keep One small rhythm you won’t punish yourself for missing.

Nothing dramatic. Just a pace you can live inside. This is Brave.

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Simple Breath Prayer

(use anytime you feel rushed or overwhelmed)

Inhale: I am not behind.

Exhale: I am held.

—or—

Inhale: Here I am, God.

Exhale: I trust Your pace.

Slow the exhale.

Let your shoulders drop.

Nothing else is required.

As you move through this week, my prayer is that you feel less braced and more held. That you notice God meeting you not in the rush, but in the ordinary moments where nothing needs to be proven.

May you begin this year without bracing. May urgency loosen its grip on your body. May you feel permission to move at a pace that tells the truth about your limits. And may God meet you, not in what you rush to become, but in who you already are.

When Growth Doesn’t Need to Rush.

If this rhythm has been steadying for you, Grace Notes is a weekly love-note I send as a quiet companion—short reflections, breath prayers, and reminders you don’t have to rush or get it right. No noise, no overwhelm. Just something gentle in your inbox if you’d like to keep walking together, without having to remember to check here first.

With Wild Hope + Expectancy, B.