Jesus is famous for asking questions.

Perhaps the question of his that resonates most around the new year is the one he asks blind Bartimaeus?

“What do you want me to do for you?”

This question is not without context. Bartimaeus has already let everyone within earshot know that he wants something. At one point, Bartimaeus is begging so loud for Jesus’s attention that even Jesus’s followers try to silence him.

“…But he shouted all the more.”

If you have stepped into this New Year with desire for a better world—within you and around you—hear the question the divine asks desire:

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Or, in shorter hand, what do you want?

Wherever you are on the continuum of desire, whether you can fully articulate your wants for the year or not—you owe your desire this much:

Allow yourself to feel it.
Allow it to well up inside of you and overtake what must be overtaken.
Talk out loud about it with those you trust.
Know that Jesus is listening.
Do not be surprised when he asks, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The tension, the timing, the obstacles, and stewarded desire—this is all part of the story.