Sometimes the pressure we’re under and the pace we’re going are just too much. Other people’s expectations for us—not to mention our own—build up to a point where we just can’t deal. So what happens? We shut down. We withdraw. Or we might self-sabotage to take control of the inevitable disappointment we see lurking just around the corner. This January, let’s take a step back from the pressure-cookers we often find ourselves in to realize that life doesn’t have to be this way. Living with a deep connection to Jesus doesn’t look like a straining, striving, pressure-filled race. Let’s look ahead and plan together for a year filled with love, hope, joy and peace instead.