Walking Faithfully Into 2026

Happy New Year to everyone.

A new year carries a lot of meaning, and not everyone carries it the same way. For some, January feels like a clean slate, a deep breath, a fresh start. For others, the turning of the calendar feels quieter, almost like a farewell to what was. And for some, it stirs reflection on what might have been. A new year can feel hopeful and exciting, or uncertain and heavy, sometimes all at once.

If you find yourself feeling a mix of those emotions, you are not alone.

My hope is that this message meets you wherever you are. I try to be encouraging and hopeful, but I also know life can be painfully hard. I am very aware of my own shortcomings and the ways I fall short of reflecting Christ perfectly in my life and to the world. The past few years have been among the most difficult I have walked through, and yet I can honestly say I remain full of hope. That hope is not rooted in circumstances or what I hope the future holds. My hope is anchored in who God is.

Over the years, one passage of Scripture has stayed close to me. It has comforted me, challenged me, frustrated me, and at times made me a little angry. Sometimes all at once. It comes from the book of James. In James 1, we are reminded that when our faith is tested, not if, endurance has a chance to grow. Jesus echoes this reality in Matthew 5:45 when He tells us that rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. Difficulty is not a sign of failure or weak faith. It is part of life.

[Jas 1:2-4 NLT] 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James writes that when troubles come, we are invited to consider them an opportunity for joy, because tested faith produces endurance, and endurance leads to maturity. James is not dismissing pain or pretending that hardship does not hurt. He is honest about the reality of trials and invites us to face them with open eyes and steady trust.

Too often, acknowledging struggle can feel like weakness, especially in church spaces. But Scripture tells a different story. King David and the psalmists regularly named their pain out loud. They cried, questioned, and lamented. The difference James points to is this. We acknowledge the trial and choose to trust that God is using it to build us, not tear us down.

That brings me to 2026.

I want this new year to light a fire in you. I pray that God surprises you with goodness in ways you never put on your mental 2026 bingo card. I hope you experience joy, growth, healing, and moments that remind you that God sees you and is near.

I also want to be honest. You will likely face challenges this year. [Jas 1:5 NLT] 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. And when you do, Scripture provides us with another gift of encouragement. James 1:5 reminds us that if we need wisdom, we can ask God, and He gives generously, without rebuke. You are not expected to have all the answers. You are invited to ask.

As you walk through those moments, allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in you. Let His fruit be evident in your life. Give love when it's easier than to withdraw love. Choose joy when circumstances feel heavy. Walk in peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, just as Galatians 5:22–23 describes. Let it be apparent to those around you that Christ is in you, not because life is easy, but because the Spirit is at work through you.

[Gal 5:22-23 NLT] 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

May 2026 be a year where you experience both honesty and hope, struggle and strength. May you seek the Lord for wisdom when the road feels unclear. And may you see, again and again, the steady faithfulness of a God who walks with you through every season.