You know that feeling when your phone starts glitching—apps freezing, battery draining, everything just… off? Your first instinct isn’t to throw the whole thing away and start over. You update the software.

So why do we treat our faith like it needs a factory reset every January?

I spent years thinking spiritual growth meant burning it all down and rebuilding from scratch. Every new year, I’d promise myself this would be the year I finally got my faith “right.” I’d overhaul my prayer life, commit to daily Bible reading plans I’d abandon by January 15th, and basically try to become a completely different version of myself. This year, I’ve embraced a different perspective, exploring the concept of progressive christianity new yea, recognising that growth can come from adaptation rather than complete overhaul.

It was exhausting. And here’s what nobody told me: that approach wasn’t just unsustainable—it was theologically backwards.

As a person with a visual disability, I know intimately that my body doesn’t need fixing or replacing. It needs support, adaptation, and sometimes—yes—updates to how I navigate the world. New assistive technology. Better systems. Evolved understanding. The same is true for faith.

What if the sacred work of a new year isn’t about becoming someone else entirely, but about updating the software of our souls?

The Difference Between Updates and Reinstalls

Here’s what I’ve learned: There’s a massive difference between a software update and a complete reinstall.

A reinstall wipes everything. You lose your settings, your saved data, your personalized setup. You start from absolute zero. It’s dramatic, but it’s also traumatic—and rarely necessary.

An update, though? An update keeps your core intact while improving functionality. It patches vulnerabilities. It adds features you didn’t know you needed. It makes the system you already have work better.

Most of us don’t need to reinstall our faith. We need to update it.

What Needs Updating?

As we step into 2026, I’ve been asking myself: What theological “features” are due for an update? What’s glitching in my spiritual operating system that needs a patch?

Here’s what I’m working on:

Update 1: My Understanding of Holiness

I’m patching the bug that told me holiness meant separation from the world. The new version? Holiness is about integration—bringing all of who I am into sacred space. My disability, my questions, my queerness, my doubts. All of it is welcomed at the table.

Many scholars now argue that biblical holiness was less about purity and more about wholeness. That changes everything.

Update 2: My Approach to Scripture

I’m moving from “The Bible clearly says…” to “In this passage, we see…” It’s a small shift in language, but it represents a massive theological upgrade. It trades certainty for curiosity. It makes room for multiple interpretations. It honors the complexity of ancient texts without weaponizing them.

This doesn’t make Scripture less authoritative in my life—it makes it more alive.

What to Keep (Your Core Features)

Here’s the beautiful thing about updates: they preserve what matters.

You don’t lose your contacts when you update iOS. You don’t lose your playlists when Spotify updates. The stuff that’s essential, that’s core to who you are—that stays.

For me, that looks like:

• My commitment to radical inclusion
• My belief that love is the center of the gospel
• My conviction that accessibility is theological, not optional
• My trust that questions are holy

These aren’t up for debate in my faith. They’re foundational. They’re the operating system itself.

What I’m updating are the applications—the ways I practice, the language I use, the expressions of those core beliefs.

The Practical Part: How to Identify What Needs Updating

So how do you know what’s due for an update vs. what’s core to keep?

Try this: Ask yourself what’s causing friction in your spiritual life. Where are you experiencing lag, glitches, or crashes?

• Is your prayer language feeling empty? Maybe it needs updating.
• Are certain theological positions causing you to harm yourself or others? Definitely time for a patch.
• Do your faith practices drain you rather than sustain you? Your spiritual apps might need refreshing.

But also ask: What’s working? What brings you life? What connects you to the Divine and to community? That’s your core. That stays.

The Both/And of Sacred Evolution

What I love about this update metaphor is that it holds both continuity and change. You’re not throwing away your device. You’re not starting over. But you’re also not staying stuck with outdated software that’s vulnerable to harm.

This is ancient-future bridge building. It’s honoring tradition while embracing innovation. It’s saying yes to inherited wisdom and yes to new understanding.

Your faith can evolve without being destroyed. In fact, evolution might be the most faithful thing you can do.

What Now?

As you think about 2026, I invite you to ask yourself:

What’s one theological feature you’re ready to update?

Maybe it’s your image of God. Maybe it’s your understanding of sin and grace. Maybe it’s your relationship with doubt. Maybe it’s recognizing that your body, exactly as it is, is sacred and doesn’t need fixing.

You don’t have to overhaul everything. You don’t have to factory reset your faith. You just need to be willing to download the update when it’s ready.

And here’s the wild part: the update has probably been waiting in the background for a while. You just need to give yourself permission to install it.

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P.S. What’s one thing you’re updating in your faith this year? Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear what you’re working on.