Dragging Dead Weight? Redeeming the rest of 2026

I wrote this on the 9th of January, and never shared it…

Looking back now, I think I was more overwhelmed than I realised at the time. Maybe that’s why it stayed sitting in my drafts for so long. But rereading it today, it still feels true. Maybe even more true than it was then.

So if you’ve found yourself tired, anxious, and carrying more than you expected, at whatever point you are in the year… maybe this is for you, too.

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Past me wrote this on Day 9 of 2026, Dear Reader. And I don’t know what’s happening on your end, but on Day 9, I had already been peed on, stepped in poop, suffered from sleep deprivation, been overwhelmed by all of the things we’d decided to “circle back on” in the new year, been running after that elusive fiend called work/life balance, and had pulled the mantle of anxiety that I tend to wear, around me like a thick woollen coat. And man, is it itchy. I hate that coat. Although I had, with every intention, started the year with the earnest desire not to repeat last year’s faux pas (missteps), I found myself feeling overwhelmed and anxious, as if I’d started the year on the back foot.

(A quick note, from a few months further down the road: since I wrote the above, I’ve had two surgeries and a number of other little surprises, and yet, I feel blessed, and feel like there’s still time for us, friends. Time to redeem what’s left of 2026. That is, assuming any of you have also had a rough start to the year.)

But even as I say this, I feel some part of myself tighten up. I mean, I want to step hopefully into the rest of this year, but I feel like I’m still dragging a couple of dead bodies behind me. Now, we have a couple of options if we find ourselves dragging some dead weight: (1) We can simply bury the dead bodies. Whatever those things are that we haven’t dealt with — the losses, the pain, the stresses, the disappointments, the lack of rest rhythms — we can simply bury all of that and move on. But the issue with not processing this dead weight and simply burying it is that eventually, it will start to stink something awful, and will resurface at the most inopportune time. Then there’s our second option: (2) We can carve out some time as we move through the rest of 2026, to process, to think about what we want to leave behind, and to dream over the months ahead. And it’s not too late to do so.

Dream? I hear you say. You don’t dream. Maybe, like me, you’ve had seasons where you’ve stopped hoping and just surrendered to whatever comes? But what would it look like to let God into your “hopeless” spaces and breathe new life into them, and you? Maybe you’ve walked into a workplace that is toxic, despite desperately wanting something new. Maybe you’ve started the year without someone dear to you, either because they left, or because they’re no longer here. And maybe, you’ve just started the year tired. And despite your best efforts, you just can’t drum up the energy to get excited for anything. And despite all of these things, a spark flickers in your chest. You want the rest of this year to be different. But right now, it just feels like you’re pouring new wine into an old wineskin (Luke 5). Your effort and your resolutions, your buck up attitude, they’re just not enough. But God… He wants to come and do a new thing, but He won’t invade. He’s waiting for you to stretch out your hand, take His, and invite Him in and over. We invite Him in — into the messiness we have brought into this year, into our mind and heart — so that He can renew what’s been broken, what’s been tainted, what’s been torn from us. And we invite Him over. Over our year, our workplace, our families, our relationships, our finances, over everything.

So where do we start?

With the invitation. Start by sitting with God, and praying a simple prayer that looks something like this:

“God, would you come and be Lord in and over the rest of my 2026. Speak to me, give me the heart and mind of Christ as I look at this year, at my relationships, my work, my studies, my finances, my marriage, my children. And fill my heart both with expectant hope for what you are going to do in each of those spaces, but also with obedience to do all that you will ask of me. Help me to put down the things that are no longer mine. And help me to pick up the things you desire for me. The things you know will bring You Glory, and the things that will grow me in Christ-likeness, joy, trust and hope in the months ahead. In Jesus name, Amen.”

It sounds very simplistic, but sometimes it’s as simple as looking back, looking around you, and then looking ahead. So here goes:

1. God, would you help me look back? Think about the year so far. This doesn’t have to be too deeply introspective. Start on a surface level. What significant events have already taken place this year — good, bad, and ugly? And what did you do with the cards you were dealt? Focusing on the good: can you take a moment and list all of the good things you’ve experienced so far this year, or at least a few that come to mind? Can you take a moment to thank God for each of those? Now focusing on the bad and ugly: do you feel able to leave those things behind you? Do you have closure? Are you still carrying the baggage from those events with you? What one thing can you do for each of those to feel you have more closure? (Note — you don’t have to have immediate closure for all of these right now. But in the months ahead, imagine becoming lighter and lighter as you find some closure for each of these events, whether that’s in therapy, through forgiveness, or simply asking God to help you release them and let them go. It’s about living lighter as we go, not about an immediate quick fix.)

2. God, would you help me look at my current reality? Think about your present reality. What is on your table right now? What rhythms do you want to continue in the months ahead? What do you want to step away from? This includes responsibilities, relationships, habits, and addictions. What do you no longer want in your life? And even as I say this, I recognise that it is deeply important to answer the why for each of these. Before ending relationships or quitting that job, it’s important to ask why you feel this way and whether you can/want to salvage any of these. Can the relationship be repaired? Can better boundaries help you find health in your workplace? What was the catalyst in making you feel this way? Are you actually just burned out, and everything feels like it’s “too much”? This is where counsel and accountability are invaluable. Who can you talk to before binning those relationships and responsibilities? Who can help you walk out of those habits and addictions that are no longer serving you? You don’t have to do this alone; in fact, you were never intended to. Know when your season has ended. And when you do walk away from that relationship or workplace, do so knowing you are walking away with God’s blessing and for the right reasons. In my life, knowing when seasons have ended has been beneficial. But jumping the gun, running ahead of what God wants to do, quitting that job or ending that relationship before the season has ended has never worked out well for me. His timing is perfect. Trust Him and listen for His direction. One caveat is this: if it’s an addiction or a habit that is taking you away from God and His influence in your life, don’t hesitate; don’t carry it forward, not for one more day. Get help and walk away. But again, please don’t do it alone. No matter what you’re putting down, who can you text for coffee to help you process? Don’t hesitate, do it now.

3. God, would you help me dream about the rest of 2026? We spoke about leaving things behind, but what new thing does God want to do in your life this year? What do you want to pursue? What do you hope for? We serve a God who cares about the life-giving dreams we hold in our hearts. If you could pursue one new thing over the next few months, what would it be? And why do you want to do it? Who do you want to be on the 31st of December? And what one step can you take toward becoming that person? Just one step… You don’t need the million-step plan, the finances or the answers. Just write down what you hope for this year, write down the why, and offer it up to God. Some hopes and dreams are no-brainers. If you want to become a crochet queen, I don’t know that God would have too many opinions about that. Go get a hook and some yarn, jump in, and see what happens. Maybe you want to crack that elusive daily quiet time with God. I think He’d like that. Get started with a Bible Plan on YouVersion, maybe even take some friends along for the ride. But maybe your dream is a bit bigger and you want to shift poverty in South Africa, or change our adoption processes? Or you want to go study again. Or you want to become a writer. Whatever it is, give it to God, and figure out your one next step.

This may sound exhausting, especially to those of us who already feel worn thin. But over the next three weeks, tackle one of these a week. Week 1: The Past. Week 2: The Present. Week 3: The Future. Don’t get stuck in the details. Don’t go too deep. Just start the conversation and see what happens…

One step at a time. One conversation at a time. One act of surrender at a time.

I’m praying for a deeply significant year for you, friends. Live light, and find joy in the midst of it all.

’til next time…