One Day at a Time – A Walk Through 2026

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he teaches the importance of walking wisely and making the most of each day. He warns that the days are evil and that we must be aware, cautious and intentional.

Today we might call that living mindfully or even “time maxxing.”

I love how God’s Word is timeless and that Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians is as true and applicable today as the day he was inspired by God to write those words of encouragement and guidance.

No matter who or where you are, it’s likely that the last year was at times trying and that there were moments of frustration, disappointment, worry, loss and pain. It’s been a long hard year for many of us, if not all of us. I hope that there were also times of joy, opportunity and success in your life to balance the trials and temper the challenges. Yet I know that many people’s lives were undone in the last year by war, famine, conflict, controversy, illness, loss, acrimony, cruelty, physical and mental health difficulties, relationship struggles, job loss, foreclosure, homelessness and a sense of hopelessness.

While we may look at life through different lenses and with diverse opinions, we also share so much in common and we have collectively gone through a very trying year and endured so much both in the United States as well as around the world.

At times it is difficult to look for the good. And yet it is only by looking for the light that we can survive and overcome the darkness. More than ever, we need to work together, help one another and love each other as we work through the daily struggles of this world.

Each December, various media outlets assemble a retrospective of the many memories that we collectively experienced in the last year as well as a remembrance of those we lost. Each of us could likely add our own vignettes to these montages with scenes from our personal challenges, struggles and losses.

While we may have had an inkling that some things would play out a certain way as 2025 began, none of us knew the twists and turns that the calendar would take from January to December – nor do we know what path this new year will take. I pray that 2026 will bring hope, healing, peace and unity to all of us and that we might have a sense of greater optimism, possibility and strength this time next year.

““Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19

Have you ever looked at an old calendar entry – either digital or analog – and it took you back to that moment in time – where you were, why you were there, who you were with – maybe even a sense of who you were at that time and place? The past is like that – it draws us back with promises of revisionist history. Maybe we imagine things were better, easier, lovelier, more special. We airbrush the struggles, photoshop the pain and can be left with only yearning for yesterday. On the other hand, we may also remember it as being worse than it was, less happy, more pain, less joy. We are certain we are better off now and that there was nothing from the past worth saving for the present and future.

A new year is neither a blank slate nor a closed book. It is a work in progress, filled with many dates already entered from last year – birthdays, medical appointments, special occasions, meetings, perhaps a long-scheduled vacation. It is also empty squares waiting to be filled with events we cannot imagine with friends we haven’t yet met, opportunities not yet begun, activities and meals still unplanned.

Even as we continue with our lives from 2025, a new year awaits us full of God’s purpose, plans and promises. Our memories are special and important and inform both today and tomorrow as we learn from experiences and interactions. And yet we must remember that God is at work within us and all around us, and we must be fully present in the present so that He can use us and grow us, enabling us to reach the potential He has for us. God calls us each day to listen to Him, to look for Him, to follow and obey Him.

This year I am asking God to help me release the grip that the memories of the past can often hold on me – the good and the bad – and to help me to see Him at work around me and ask Him what I might do that day to make a difference for good and to honor Him in whatever way He deems best for that moment.

Though this world can often feel like a dangerous wilderness and parched desert, it is encouraging to know that God can and will do new things in our lives each day, that He will lead us and refresh us and He will care for our physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

We don’t know how our calendars will fill up over the next 365 days – or the next 525,600 minutes – but we know that God can and will lead us through the next year and He will be with us each day, hour and moment.

That is a really comforting feeling to know that over the next year – and over the rest of our lives – even when we feel really alone, we aren’t. God is there in each moment with all of us.

And that means we can use our most permanent pens to add God into our calendars every single day!

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Many of us love to make lists of resolutions, hoping against hope for a better year than the last, promising ourselves and others to make important changes and improvements to our lives. I was thinking about what resolutions I wanted to make for 2026 recently and I was thinking about how I would really like to have more joy in my life, especially in light of the challenges in our country and around the world and how easy it is to feel discouraged and weary of the conflict and chaos.

I was reminded of a lesson I learned when I was younger about how J.O.Y. can be a mnemonic device for how to live our lives and where we direct our time, talents and treasure.

This was how I was taught to remember J.O.Y. in that long ago lesson — that we are to plan our lives as follows…

J – Jesus

O – Others

Y – Yourself

As I reflected on this, I thought about how I could make resolutions related to Jesus and my spiritual life, and I could also make resolutions related to how I could be of service to Others, and lastly I could make resolutions related to Yourself (myself lol) and some resolutions I wanted to make for self-improvement and growth.

I don’t think I have ever made resolutions based on this approach before, but I wrote several in each category and it was empowering to consider my spiritual life, my interactions with and service to others as well as some personal changes I want to make in the coming year and frame these as resolutions for 2026.

The above verse is from the only Psalm written by Moses (Psalm 90) and it is a powerful reminder that we must be mindful of the brevity of life and the importance of living each day to its fullest, knowing that our time on this earth is finite and we should seek to be wise as we focus on God’s plan for our lives in light of eternity.

Another approach to making resolutions could be focused on a Goal, a Gift and a Wish. The Goal is the thing that you alone can do on your own, essentially without the assistance or participation of others. This could be an exercise or financial plan, a professional or educational goal, getting more organized, learning a new language, traveling to a new place, taking care of a home improvement project or learning a new hobby or skill.

The Gift is something that you can give away of your Time, Talent and/or Treasure. This could be making a regular financial contribution to your place of worship, supporting a charity or group that is doing important work with which you agree, or volunteering to serve in your community on an issue that you value such as literacy, housing, hunger, the environment, veterans, human and civil rights, education, healthcare, caring for animals or any other of so many important issues. It could also mean assisting an elderly neighbor, offering meals to a family in need, serving as a mentor in your professional life or being a listening ear and encourager to someone going through a difficult season of life. It is the thought that counts in choosing a Gift – it doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, financial or intangible. All that matters is that you want to do something to help someone else in some way to make life easier, better and happier for others.

Finally, the Wish is something that is bigger than a shorter-term Goal and it likely involves other people participating to realize the Wish. I think the Wish is something that is a long-term vision or plan. It is something that you want for your life or the lives of others or both. It’s grander and bigger and full of promise and potential. Maybe it’s a relationship wish of finding a life partner. Maybe it’s a wish to become a parent. It could be a wish of finishing a degree or starting a business. Perhaps it is a wish to move to a new city, to become a homeowner or find your forever home, to change careers or to retire and begin a new chapter of life.

I found writing out possible Goals, Gifts and Wishes to be insightful and it showed me places I want to work on in my own life, ways I want to help others and how God is speaking to me in planning larger wishes and dreams.

I wrote these down in a notebook and plan to refer back to them over the course of the next year to check in and note my progress and activities and also to challenge myself to make sure that I am numbering my days to gain a heart of wisdom and that I am also seeking to make the most of each day that God has given to me.

If this year is like the years that came before it, I know there will be ups and downs, victories and struggles, gains and losses, steps both forward and back. And I’m OK with that. Some days are harder than others, and if I’m honest, some days can really stink. But then there are the good days, the bright days, the days of peace and wonder. So we press on through the bad days (and weeks and months), because we know that the good ones are just around the corner.

Years ago, I heard someone say that Practice makes Progress – but as they started to say the expression, I was expecting them to say Practice makes Perfect, as I had so often heard before. I literally felt myself exhaling with a sense of peace and acceptance that it doesn’t have to be Perfect. Progress is good enough. And sometimes progress may not even look like progress – it may look like anything but progress.

If you’ve ever cleaned a desk drawer, kitchen cabinet or full-to-bursting garage and found it only got messier on the road to cleaner, you know this feeling. I often remind myself of this expression, especially when I’m dealing with a challenging task. Perfection is not the aim. Just making steady progress and doing my best is what I think God asks of each of us – if we’re making the most of our time, talent and treasure each day, as best as we can. I love the peace and relief I find in that – God knows our human limitations both because He created us but also because Jesus came down to earth, Emmanuel, to walk among us and He knows our real pains, struggles, losses, dreams, frailties and needs. And He will help us as we just do our best each day, as the Serenity Prayer teaches us, living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time.

I pray God’s very best for all of us in 2026. I pray that we will continue to walk with God and seek Him each day of our lives. I pray God will guide and encourage you as you live one day at a time and enjoy one moment at a time. May He bless you and keep you and may He make His face to shine on you today and every day. And may you know how loved you are by God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit today and always.

In The Narthex