Happy New Year!
Do those words bring peace…or anxiety?
I used to love the start of a new year. A clean calendar. A fresh planner. Excitement about what might be ahead. That changed.
When the New Year Brings Anxiety
While I still enjoy a brand-new Be Intentional planner, I’ve stepped into this new year with an anxious heart. Honestly, the unknown feels heavy. Life has taught me that hard things come—grief, trouble, and circumstances I cannot control. What weighs on me most is knowing my family will face those things too. As they walk into adulthood, I cannot protect my children from every outcome or every choice like I perceived I could do when they were young.
As I sat down for my first quiet time of 2026, God gently reminded me of four truths that reframed how I enter this year.
1. 2026 is not about me.
Psalm 115:1 (CSB): Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory because of your faithful love, because of your truth.
This year is not about my comfort, my plans, or my expectations. What God places in my path is for His glory and for my good. He uses every season to grow faith, refine hearts, and draw families closer to Him. I can trust that what He allows is purposeful.
2. I can trust God in 2026.
Psalm 115 repeats this phrase three times: Trust the LORD! He is their help and shield.
I need that reminder more than once. I can trust God’s plan for 2026. And whatever comes my way will first pass through my helper and my shield. I am not walking into this year alone.
3. The Lord will bless us in 2026.
Psalm 115:12 (CSB): The LORD remembers us and will bless us.
Blessings are not always tangible. They are not always easy. Often, God’s blessings come as peace in uncertainty, strength in weakness, and growth through difficulty. But I can walk into 2026 knowing that He remembers His people, and He is faithful.
4. 2026 holds a future and a hope.
As I prayed through Psalm 115, God brought me back to my life verse.
Jeremiah 29:11 (CSB): For I know the plans I have for you—this is the LORD’s declaration—plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
I laid my anxiety before Him and prayed this scripture:
Lord, You know the plans You have for the Franz family in 2026. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give us a future and a hope. As I come to You with joy, lament, anxiety, and hope, I trust that You hear me. May this year be one where we seek You above all else.
No matter what 2026 brings, we can walk forward faithfully—trusting a God who blesses, protects, and gives a future and a hope for His glory.
Happy New Year, friends.
It’s Here and It’s Better Than Ever!
The 2026 Be Intentional Planner is ready to help moms and teachers manage schedules, meals, goals, and more—all in one place. The new layout was designed with your feedback in mind. The only decision you have to make is: Do I want the Large or Small Planner?
This was such an encouraging post! Les me to read the whole psalm and I’m positive this psalm is also for our family this year!
I’m so glad that you were encouraged by my honesty. It’s hard to share sometimes, but I pray that God uses my mistakes and growth to encourage others.