Happy New Year, friends! I wasn't going to share anything today since it's so late in the day, but I remembered an email I got this week from Laura Tremaine that had some great prompts in it, so I thought I'd make a later day post. I hope you enjoy this! I'll be back tomorrow as well, for my first Friday Favorites post of the year. I hope you'll come back for that one!
What do I want to hold onto in 2026?
At some point in time the last nine months, I have found this really deep inner peace. I'm thankful to be able to say this, and I know it comes from God. I have continued on in my Bible reading plan, and today I started it all over again. If you are interested in something like that and would like to read along with me, I'd love this! I'm using The Bible Recap again this year, on the YouVersion Bible app. It takes about twenty minutes a day; you pray, you read/listen to the day's reading, and you watch a five minute podcast that recaps what we've just read. It's simple, it's effective, and it is life changing!
The reason I mention this is because God's word has been life sustaining for me. I've gotten to know Him more than ever before, I continue to learn about Him no matter how many times I read through the Bible, and He shows me through His word how much He guides and directs me everyday of my life. How could I not have peace, knowing all of this? This has spilled over into every area in my life; I no longer have anxiety like I used to, I no longer dread things much (or seeing someone's name pop onto my phone), and I just live life and walk as closely to Jesus as I possibly can.
This doesn't mean that everyday is perfect; that is far from the truth. But when fear/doubt/insecurity kicks in, I can rely on what I learned about God that day. And He is so kind to recall to my mind all that His word reminds me of when I read it: He is sovereign, trustworthy, and His plans are always perfect. There are certain things that weigh heavily on me sometimes, often at night; I try my best to give those things over to the Lord in prayer, and He almost always helps me to fall back to sleep. On the nights when I can't sleep, I play worship music as I lay in bed. Even on those nights, I have peace.
And that's what I want to carry forward with me into this new year. I want to do my best to keep the peace at all times with people, I want to live a peaceful life, and I want to keep finding it each day that I wake up. God is faithful; He will help me with this, I am certain. That's really all I want for this year. I'm not into making goals or resolutions, though I do have plans to start losing weight again with WW. I've let it go for the last few months, and have put about ten pounds back on that need to come off ASAP. I can feel each one of them, and I need to make some healthier changes once again.
What would you say to this question about what you want to carry into 2026? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all!
Jenn
I love that you feel that you learn something each day about God when you read the Bible. And that you can recall promises from the Bible and are reminded of them when you need them throughout the day. I´m trying to discern his voice more in my life. I appreciate your encouragement to stay in the Word. Looking forward to reading more from you in 2026 and growing closer to the Lord.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I've learned to do from reading with this community. Tara Leigh Cobble (founder and podcast teacher) says that when we read the Bible, we need to be looking for attributes of God as we read. I don't always see that everyday, but I do know certain things about Him that always come through the pages on the hard days of reading. Thanks for the sweet words, my friend. I hope that this comes to fruition in your life this year!
DeleteThat's a deep question. I'm definitely carrying a deeper faith that God comes through in the hard moments. He's also a great provider. Like I said in my latest post, I am going into the new year knowing that I want peace and quiet in my soul. I want to be content and not take on the world's (or social media's) problems that aren't mine to take on. I want to just live my life, be a good steward of what God's provided and mind my own business (as the bible says to do).
ReplyDeleteIt is, but I love your answer! Amen, my friend. He is the BEST provider! I want that same thing for my own life in the new year. Thank you for sharing that with me!
DeleteOver the past nine months, I’ve found a deep inner peace that I know comes from God, strengthened by my consistent Bible reading plan. Using The Bible Recap on the YouVersion app, I spend about twenty minutes daily praying, reading, and listening, followed by a short podcast recap. This practice has transformed my life, reducing anxiety and helping me trust God’s guidance in every situation. Even on difficult days or sleepless nights, His word and worship music bring calm and reassurance. Through this daily connection, I continue to grow in faith and walk more closely with Jesus.
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