January seems like a time for new beginnings. We seem eager to make resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more, spend time with family, and pray more consistently. But are we really open to what’s next?

As human beings, we exist in a realm of time. We mark the passage of it and make plans for what will come. From seconds to hours, days to centuries, no amount of time is too small or too big for us to track, or at least we try to do so. Yet, we really don’t have any control over time. We can’t slow it down or make it go faster. Neither can we control what happens at any point in time. We can make the most perfect plan, and circumstances outside of our control render a whole timetable… useless. No matter how many times this happens to us, we keep making plans. Perhaps this is a reflection of the deep-seeded hope we all have as children of God. We don’t know what will happen next, so we broadly choose to be hopeful and optimistic. There may be circumstances when this is difficult, like when dealing with a health crisis. However, our Catholic faith encourages us during these difficult moments — even when facing the possibility of death — that not only is God with us, but that the end of earthly life is not the end of our existence. 

At the start of the year, time has so much potential and promise. We may have a long-awaited trip that suddenly seems imminent. Perhaps there is a new job or a new home that we’re preparing for. There is a sense of excitement about what’s to come. Usually, though, these are all plans that we have made. We are ready and looking forward to them. But what about all the things that happen that are unexpected? Are we looking forward to them? Are we ready to welcome surprises in our lives? For some, the answer is an easy yes, no matter if it seems to be a positive change or an unpleasant challenge. Many will have some level of struggle, depending on the unanticipated result. 

Since we are still in the Christmas season, the example of the Holy Family is one to keep in mind throughout the year, especially when we do face the unforeseen. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem may have been planned by God, but wasn’t expected when Mary and Joseph were initially betrothed. Another curve ball was thrown their way when the angel in Joseph’s dream told him to flee to Egypt. Neither event was easy for them and we will never really appreciate the strength of faith it took for them to participate in God’s salvific will. In our modern day of convenience, any interruption to ease is made into a catastrophe. We’re so accustomed to having things mostly go our way, that we struggle to imagine that the unexpected could result in something positive or will bring about a greater good than our initial expectation.

While it’s good for us to make plans for 2025, perhaps one of the improvements we can practice is to be open to the unexpected. Practice does not mean that we will respond immediately with gladness at every unplanned situation that occurs, nor should we. It means we will reflect on our responses and strive to have a peace-filled approach to future ones, remembering God is with us and allowing Him to bring the best possible outcome regardless of circumstances. And if the surprise is truly unwelcomed, it’s okay to ask God to help us through it. He may not remove the obstacle from our life experience, but He will assist us as we navigate through it.