A new year lingers just around the corner. Many of us feel more than ready to leave 2020 behind, to chalk this near-dystopian era up to a glitch in the system. But, of course, it’s quite unlikely that the moment the clock strikes midnight on January 1, life will return to the normalcy we used to know.

As you prepare your heart for 2021, we hope you’ll find time to reflect on the year gone by. Let yourself grieve the losses. Ask the Lord to reveal the joys. Perhaps a few of the joys will sound like this—Jesus came to dwell among us, and the Spirit awaits Christ’s return with us.

And then, look to the future. Receive God’s grace whether you’re “feeling more defeated than inspired” or you’re filled with energy and excitement.

Jarvis J. Williams writes in “The Most Life-Changing New Year’s Resolution Won’t Come Easy” that “Jesus is Lord over everything in heaven and on earth, and he wants his followers to place everything under his lordship.”

After a year of recognizing our lack of control, embracing those challenging words just might be the most comforting way to ring in a new year. As December 31 fades away, whether your list of resolutions stretches long or never materialized, may we all resolve to cling to the truth—that Jesus is our loving Lord, and one day, He’s coming back for us.