New Stuff

January oh January. The holidays come and go and suddenly we’re back to this quiet month carrying our resolutions and grumpy attitudes towards going back to school and work. I didn’t make any resolutions this year because honestly, the new year didn’t even seem real. All the months seem to flow together nowadays, and I was actually sad about how Christmas and Thanksgiving this year also didn’t hold as much excitement for me. But since 2026 started I felt like it was the perfect time to write some thoughts down. Reflections? Let them commence.

The most recent thinking that’s been taking up my brain power has been about wants. American culture presses want want want, get get get get. Even coming home for Christmas break I feel pressure to work a ton so that I can get more of the things I want. I don’t know about you, but Pinterest and Instagram dominate my thinking about obtaining items. Whether it’s clothes, makeup, shoes, bags, room decor, heck, even a new car, which at this current moment is not in my affordability range, consumption is promoted and I see it every day. That makes it really hard to be content, so I’ve found. You might think yeah Meghan, I could’ve told you that. But I just spent the holidays surrounded by family and friends, enjoying their company and I still feel like I don’t have enough stuff. Whether I want to admit it or not, I know my mind is always thinking about the next paycheck, the next purchase, the next thing that will make me feel….????

Complete?

That’s the word.

I won’t lie; I’ve felt frustrated about that. Why do I need materials to feel whole? To feel socially accepted? Why do I think I’m not good enough because my nails aren’t done like everyone else because getting them done is EXPENSIVE? I’m not here to complain though, so I hope you don’t view it like that. Nor am I the nail police. If you want to get your nails done and they are done, I’m not hating on you, I know they’re beautiful and I’m glad that you get them done. But, with all these wants consuming my thoughts I think it’s good to be talked about. I know I’m not the only person who struggles with wanting things. We all want things! And if we got everything we wanted then that would be great, but that’s not how it works. When I was in sixth grade I vividly remember being anxious all Christmas season because I was trying to be cool like some of the popular girls I had befriended at school. I knew their parents made good money and they would probably get all these new clothes and accessories and water bottles for Christmas. I would always walk by the Christmas tree and count how many gifts were for me. Then I’d leave, disappointed because I knew Christmas was coming and I didn’t even have that many gifts (in my opinion). Then when Christmas day did come, I would unwrap things I didn’t ask for while I watched my friends Christmas hauls sent in our group chat with gifts just for them that filled their whole stairwell. Discontent, mad, and jealous was I.

Now older, I look back on that with different perspective, and I see a girl who was just trying to get enough stuff to be like everyone else. Also, my loving parents have never made Christmas or birthdays about gifting. They put emphasis elsewhere. I think the hard thing to accept is that I still struggle with wanting to look like and be like other people. I think a lot of people struggle with this.

So, the perspective I want to shake off in the new year is feeling the need to have stuff. To want more things. To collect. To show off. To get new. I still wouldn’t call it my resolution, but I would call it a continual effort to not have a heart of covetousness. The Bible clearly states that in Genesis we shall not covet. God also instructs us in the Psalms that the Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want. And Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that our Heavenly Father knows what we need but we are to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. I don’t think that wanting some new blush is evil. But I think turning to an attitude of consumption turns us away from God and His goodness to us.

This break I have observed that better than physical objects are getting to see old friends, sunny winter days, snuggling with dogs, making jokes at Christmas dinner, hugs from coworkers before a shift, and lots of rest. Maybe the answer to always thinking about more wants is to put our wants in Jesus’ hands and to look around us at what joy the non-physical things give us.

In this new year and in every year, we are complete in Christ, not in our new shoes & new car. What a good thing.

Cheers to the New Year,

Meg