A Lutheran Family's New Year Resolution: Finding Balance in God's Grace

Reflections on faith, family, and finding time for what matters most, from Deacon Laura Book, inspired by Shannon Fossett

As another year draws to a close, I find myself deep in contemplation about New Year's resolutions for my family. The questions that meander through my mind feel both familiar and profound: How can we grow spiritually, emotionally, and physically? What things in our life no longer bring us joy or serve our family well? What does our community expect of us? What does our church call us to be? Most importantly, who or what does God call us to become this year?

The Gift of Time and Intentional Living

I often wonder whether the precious gift of days and time I've been given is truly living in sync with my values—as a child of God, as a woman in the 21st century, as a mother, an employee, and as a deacon in the ELCA. These roles don't exist in isolation; they weave together to form the fabric of who I am called to be.

Navigating Modern Challenges

One area that's been particularly challenging for our family is the increasing presence of video games in our children's lives. Each year brings new questions about time management, emotional regulation, and physical wellness. I find myself wrestling with how to balance screen time with the need for little bodies to move through God's world rather than sit stationary for hours each day.

Where does faith fit into these modern parenting dilemmas? How can we use this turning moment into a new year to reassess, push pause on past patterns, and begin anew?

The Power of Family Reset

For our family, the new year has become a sacred time of renewal—an opportunity to actively work together to regroup and establish new policies and action plans. Whether it's deciding when and what video games are appropriate for our children or simply creating more intentional family rhythms, we're learning to see January as a gift of fresh starts.

Living here in the land of sun, we're blessed that our children can spend more time playing in God's great outdoors, especially when the weather is lovely. This natural invitation to step outside has become part of our family's rhythm of balance.

Wisdom from Ecclesiastes

As we read in Ecclesiastes 3, "There is a time for everything." Yet isn't it ironic that the thing most of us wish for is more "time"? God gives us exactly 24 hours each day to live to the fullest. The question becomes: How will I, how will we, use the precious hours within each day this year?

Our Family's Declaration

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord to the best of our abilities. But here's the beautiful truth I'm learning: when we fail—and we will fail, a little bit or a lot—we can wash our faces and hands clean, remember that we are all baptized saints and sinners, and try again.

Whether it's the next day, next week, or next month, God's grace abounds. Living into that grace means we can practice forgiveness with ourselves, our children, our church community, our neighbors, and beyond. We can start afresh once more—over and over and over again.

A Resolution Rooted in Grace

This year, our family resolution isn't about perfection. It's about intention, grace, and the beautiful rhythm of trying, failing, forgiving, and beginning again. In a world that often demands flawless execution, perhaps our greatest witness is showing our children—and ourselves—that growth happens in the space between grace and effort, between rest and work, between screen and sky.

May this new year bring you and your family the wisdom to discern God's timing, the courage to make necessary changes, and the grace to begin again whenever you need to.

What are your family's hopes and intentions for this new year? How is God calling you to grow together?