Under the Blank Slate


Hi Friends,

We had a huge blizzard this past weekend that dumped over a foot of snow in 24 hours. We woke up to a blanket of white.

My kids are thrilled to have more snow shoveling gigs than they can handle. They shovel, stop by the house for snacks, throw their soggy gloves back on and head out to sled. After sledding? Shoveling… and repeat.

Heavy snows seem to come at the beginning of January each year in the Midwest, and it always feels like they give the perfect visual for a new year.

A field of snow without even a single footprint. A blank slate. A fresh start.

But this year, I’m pondering what’s under that snowfall.

Underneath the snow blanketing my backyard are the Nerf bullets we failed to pick up, the poison ivy in one garden bed I can’t seem to get rid of, another garden bed in which I never cleaned up the debris of dead, brown tomato plant branches.

Under the blank slate of our new year, there lies all kinds of things, too. The good choices — like seeds we planted — from last year that will come up and bear fruit. The felt absence of seeds we wish we’d planted and didn’t.

There’s also the debris…

Less innocuous than forgotten nerf bullets, the actions of others can leave mementos of pain strewn about in our hearts, just under the surface.

But if there’s anything I learned of the Lord in 2024, it’s that He’s a perfect Shepherd who leads with gentleness, wisdom, and patience.

Not in a hurry, not unaware, He knows just the things to uncover at just the right time.

Our part? To say yes. To not look away. To stand so confident in His love for us that we can risk facing our brokenness as we wait for His healing.

If you’re stepping into the blank slate of this New Year aware of things waiting beneath the surface, join me in this prayer:

Jesus, have your way. All that lies underneath the surface of my heart is Yours. Come heal, and bring forth life in every way.

– Anna

Anna Blanc

I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.

Read more from Anna Blanc

Hi Friends, As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul longs for you. This verse from Psalm 42 reads like poetry, but lives like utter desperation. Yes, this is a story about survival. When you are dying of thirst, you know exactly what you need. You pass up gold, opportunity, open doors, applause, all of it. It’s not even tempting. When you’re achingly thirsty, you will do anything to find the water. You check all the wells that have nourished you in the past, running from one to the...

Hi Friends, American writer Frederick L. Collins once said: There are two types of people — those who come into a room and say, “Well, here I am!” and those who come in and say, “Ah, there you are.” A “here I am” person walks into a room wrapped around themselves. How will I be received? How do I look? What impression will I make? A “there you are” person walks into a room with eyes to truly see the people in front of them. Their lives, their needs. My friend who works in the food industry...

Hi Friends, As the pastor shared from Exodus 32, painting the picture of the Israelites waiting nervously for Moses to return from his journey up the mountain, I began to see the scene in ways I hadn’t before. Here they are, in the middle of the wilderness. It has been weeks with no sign of their leader. Fear takes hold. They are distraught that God may have abandoned them. Left them for dead in the middle of this wasteland. They wake up in the morning, collect manna for the day’s...