The following is a reflection that Ursuline Associate and USAE Communications Director Kathy Williams wrote for a monthly Associate post titled “I’ve Been Thinking.” For information on becoming an Ursuline Associate, please contact Lauren Hitron at [email protected]

Christmas. The season of joy, the season of our Savior’s birth. I love the entire Advent and Christmas season, with its promise of God made flesh to dwell among us—the infant Jesus, who humbled himself, to be born in a barn. I am inspired by the trust that Mary and Joseph placed in the Lord to become parents to God’s only son, and the trust that strangers who were called by God as witnesses to Jesus’s birth had, to travel to see the infant Jesus. This was the birth of a child that changed the world.

So, appropriately, we celebrate, and celebrate, and celebrate. We often find ourselves rushing through the entire month of December, much like the proverbial hamster on a wheel. Our to-do lists seem never-ending, and even parties and family get-togethers can start to feel more like an obligation than a celebration. Sometimes, I feel like the mangers in our homes get pushed to the side to make room for all the gifts that are purchased from the store.

And then, poof! December 25 comes and is gone, just like that. We look around at our Christmas tree, our lights on our homes, our gifts and cards we have received, and our empty wallets, and understandably, we can feel a bit let down.

And then comes the New Year. Whether you ring it in with friends or go to bed well before midnight, the next day begins a brand-new year. There is a renewed sense of hope, of wiping the slate clean, and beginning again.

And January has a quietness about it that December lacks. I find in it the space to take a breath and slow down. When I sit in the stillness, that is when I can pause and really try to hear God’s voice. What is God telling me? What worries or troubles do I need to place before Him? What blessings do I need to be thankful for? What do I need to put into practice to serve God better?

God even calls us to stillness. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

I know that I personally have to make an effort to be still, to proactively listen for God, rather than react to all the busyness of my days. I do know that the times I have deliberately set aside a quiet space, and time to reflect, were the times that I experienced God’s love and peace most deeply.

I encourage you to take time during this quiet month of January to simply be still before God, acknowledge His love for you, and see what He will teach you through the stillness.