The Lie That You Are Behind (It’s Not True)
Friend, if you’re anything like me, you’ve entered 2026 in a whirlwind frenzy of activity and change and anticipation. Your life is probably full of many good things that keep you busy and preoccupied on your best days, but worried and overwhelmed on your worst days. Maybe, just a few weeks into the New Year, you feel dread about how the year might unfold, and have a nagging sense of shame that you’re already falling behind.
I want you to know that is simply not true.
It’s tempting to believe, when our life doesn’t look exactly like we’ve imagined it, that we’re failing. We constantly measure ourselves against where we should be instead of giving ourselves grace to simply be where we are.
The good news is, God meets us exactly where we are, today. He doesn’t meet us where we wish we were. He doesn’t wait to meet us once we’ve achieved our ideal life. He doesn’t withhold his love while we are waiting for prayers to be answered. God simply loves us as we are, where we are, right now. Can we love our lives in this way?
I’ve been running hard the past few weeks: painting, decorating, and moving my many belongings into a new house for the third time in seven months. I’ve been hyper-focused on moving in order to distract myself, grasping for control with each old item placed in a new space. But what happens when I unpack the final box? What happens when reality sets in that my new home is not the one I would have chosen for myself? Am I prepared to face the emptiness and grief that comes from feeling stuck in an unplanned and unwanted season?
Or, when I unpack the last box, will I find that I am exactly where I am supposed to be? What if my new home is a huge gift from God that is intended to be a place of peace, rest, joy, and delight, even though it’s not what I imagined for myself? What if this new reality is even better than the one I wanted?
Friends, it’s tempting to feel offended by God when we pray and his answers don’t line up with our expectations. But it’s here in the unmet expectations and surrendered ideals that we discover God’s goodness, which isn’t predicated on us understanding his plans, or even liking our present reality.
If you’ve been following with the Bible reading plan on my website, then you recently read Genesis 18:14 which asks, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
Like Sarah, who laughed at God’s promise that she would bear a son in her old age, I often find myself skeptical and scoffing at God. And yet, God turned Sarah’s whole world upside down in one year through the promised yet surprising birth of Issac. Do we believe that God can just as quickly turn our lives upside down through unforeseen circumstances this year? Do we have hope that when life takes an unexpected turn, it can actually lead to joy and delight and blessing?
For all the years (until age 90!) that Sarah felt behind because she did not bear a child, her waiting was redeemed and turned to joyful laughter upon her offspring becoming “as numerous as the stars” (Genesis 21:6, 15:5). Even in her old age, Sarah was still not behind. Surely, we have not missed out on the good plans that God has for us.
Instead of resenting, distracting, coping, and dwelling on all that is not going according to our plans, what if we walk through 2026 expecting to see God’s goodness, even in the midst of surprising and difficult circumstances? What if we reject the lie that we are behind, and embrace the truth that we are loved, right here, right now?
You are allowed to be where you are. You are allowed to change your expectations and let go of control. You are allowed to expect big things and good things from God. You are allowed to hold onto hope, even when it feels foolish and risky. You are allowed to love your life, even here in the waiting.