New year, new first week. There’s something almost magical about fresh starts. While I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, I do set intentions. Intentions feel more flexible—not set in stone—because one thing I’ve learned is that no two days are the same.
Why I Choose Intentions
Resolutions feel rigid to me. All-or-nothing. Pass or fail. And real life doesn’t work that way. Intentions give me room to grow, adjust, repent, try again, and keep moving forward without feeling like I’ve already “blown it” by January 12.
Intentions allow me to ask better questions—not Did I do this perfectly? but Am I moving in the right direction?
I’m also a creature of routine and rituals. It’s where I thrive. Some people thrive in the unknown and adventure. Not me. At all. I can do it—but it’s not where I’m at my best.
Last week I wrote out my intentions for 2026—things I want to change, adjust, stop, and grow in. The reality is simple: if I don’t change anything… nothing changes.
As I work through these intentions, I also need to be mindful of my current schedule and habits—both personally and as a family. I’m not on an island. What I change can affect our entire household, so that has to be part of the process.
How will this new thing fit into our schedule?
Are any adjustments needed?
Is there communication I need to have with others?
Is there a way to layer this intention into my existing habits so it sticks?
Is this really what I should be focusing on right now?
Are my priorities in line—Faith, Family, Health, Relationships, Professional life, etc.?
So let’s start with faith.
How am I seeking Jesus in 2026?
What do I need to stop, start, or continue in order to mature spiritually?
What I’m Doing Today
My current rhythm has been developed over many years like 20. I started just with the Jesus Calling devotional in the morning and it’s changed over time. It’s a journey ☺️
In the morning:
- I carry all my morning supplies in a Lulu bag. Fits everything perfectly and easy to tote around. I travel with it too.
- 10 minutes in silence, solitude, and stillness
- Read one chapter in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament
- Practice my memory verses—each year I memorize the Psalm for that year, so this year it’s Psalm 51
- Read a prayer from my Puritan prayer book (these are so deep and beautiful—I love them)
- Pray for my husband using Praying Over Your Husband book
- Pray for each of my kids and my daughter-in-love using Praying Over Your Adult Children book
- Write in my prayer journal
- Write in my Seeing God Move journal—where I note the little and big ways I see God working in my life, our family, friends, community, church, city, state, nation… you get the picture
- Listen to the daily Bible reading for The Bible Project plan on the Bible app
- Listen to our church’s daily Bible reading plan on the church app
- Send the verse of the day to my two nieces and a friend
In the evening:
- Read one chapter in the Gospels (including Acts). Once I finish Acts, I start back over in Matthew
- Read from my nightly spiritual growth book—this year it’s The Gifts of the Spirit by Derek Prince
- Nightly prayer with my husband (he leads)
And please know—I am not perfect. I mess up daily. From a practice standpoint, I miss a day here and there. But I can tell when I’m spiritually dehydrated and disconnected from the Lord. That’s when I have to recenter… and sometimes literally talk to myself in the third person, telling Becky to get it together.
What I Want to Start Doing
- Women’s Bible study each week at a local church (I usually choose one we don’t normally attend)
- Start the Rebuilding Liberty Bible study at our church in March
- Consecrate my workday before I start—pausing to intentionally offer my work to the Lord (the Wild at Heart app has a great prayer for this)
- Nightly family devotion and Bible verse reading at dinner
- Praying together with my husband during the day—we pray separately, but not together
- Writing in my night time journal reviewing the day and gratitude for the day
- Speaking up and being more active when my husband and I pray at night
What I Need to Stop Doing
- Holding onto offenses when they happen—and instead taking them to Jesus first before speaking
- Buying stuff. Looking at stuff. Window-shopping stuff.
This one deserves its own post, but I’m deeply convicted here. We are being sold to everywhere—TV, YouTube, social media—and I don’t need more stuff. I need contentment. January is a no-purchase month (groceries and gas don’t count). I really need to crucify this desire to browse, shop, and buy. If I’m honest, this has been an idol for me.
Grace in the Practice
Self-disclosure: I also have to work on not being legalistic. I’ve been known to go overboard. But I do intentionally want to spend time in the Word, seek Jesus daily, and follow the Spirit’s direction.
For me, that requires action.
Heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit—but also action.
From the Porch 🍃
I have to remind myself of this often: faith isn’t about perfection, performance, or checking every box the “right” way. and I love a good “check the box” it’s completed! But it’s about daily returning—heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit—and being willing to take real action when the Lord puts His finger on something.
Because the truth is, nothing changes if nothing changes.
So here’s the question I’m sitting with as this year begins—and maybe you want to sit with it too:
What is one small thing God may be inviting you to change so you can grow closer to Him this year?