Beginning the Year With Intention and Trust
The beginning of a new year often arrives loud.
There are lists to make. Goals to set. Pressure to decide who we need to become and how quickly we need to get there. Even when our hearts long for something different, it can feel difficult to slow down when everything around us is urging us forward.
As this year begins, I find myself sitting with a simple question:
How do I want to enter this year — really?
Not how I want it to look on paper.
Not what I want to accomplish.
But how I want to be as I step into it.
The words that keep rising to the surface for me are intention and trust.
Choosing a Different Beginning
For me, beginning with intention looks like resisting the urge to rush ahead. It looks like allowing space before making plans. It means acknowledging the year behind me — what shaped me, what was hard, what God carried me through — instead of skipping past it in a hurry to “move on.”
Trust, on the other hand, feels quieter but more costly.
Trust looks like believing that God is already present in this year, even if I don’t yet know what it holds. It means being willing to take steps forward without full clarity. It means choosing faithfulness over certainty.
That posture doesn’t come naturally to me. I tend to want answers before movement, confidence before action. But this year, God is inviting me to walk differently.
The Courage to Begin Gently
One of the bravest things I am choosing at the start of this year isn’t bold or visible. It’s choosing to begin gently.
I am choosing to pause instead of rushing ahead.
I am choosing to slow down before making plans.
I am choosing to listen rather than striving to figure everything out.
Instead of pushing myself to become someone new, I am choosing to remain with God right where I am.
This choice doesn’t come from having clarity. It comes from trust. And it feels brave precisely because it goes against the pace and pressure that often define the start of a new year.
Out of this space — what I am walking through in real time — something began to take shape.
A Quiet, Scripture-Led Reflection
Beginning the Year With Intention and Trust is a 7-day, Scripture-led reflection, delivered by email.
It isn’t a challenge.
It isn’t a productivity tool.
It isn’t about fixing or reinventing yourself.
It’s a gentle walk — one day at a time — created to help you:
pause at the end of one year before rushing into the next
reflect honestly on what shaped you and what was hard
notice what you’re carrying forward and what may be ready to be released
invite God into the year ahead with intention rather than pressure
Each day includes Scripture, a short reflection, and gentle prompts you can sit with through journaling, prayer, or quiet thought. There’s no expectation to keep up or do it perfectly. You’re free to move at your own pace.
I am walking through these reflections myself as this year begins.
An Invitation
If you are longing for a slower, more grounded way to begin the year — one rooted in Scripture and trust — you’re welcome to join me.
This reflection isn’t about having everything figured out.
It’s about beginning with God.
You can learn more and join the 7-day guided reflection here:
Join Beginning the Year With Intention and Trust
Wherever you find yourself at the start of this year, my prayer is that you would sense God’s nearness — not only in what you plan, but in how you walk.
