One Day at a Time: Choosing Order in the New Year

It’s a new year. Blank slate. Many are waking up today with high hopes of losing those nagging twenty pounds, reading a book a month, or cleaning out those over-stocked and chaotic closets.

A new year brings a sense of possibility. It’s exciting to gaze at the landscape of 365 unadulterated days and dream about what could be.

But the sad part? Most of us have abandoned the plan by mid-January.

Dreams dashed. Intentions forsaken.

And what was going to be our “best year yet” begins to take shape in similar fashion to every other year we have experienced thus far.

“A new year brings possibility — but possibility without daily intention fades quickly.”

A Different Way Forward

What if this year, instead of making bold claims, we chose to enter into a cycle of health, determined by the Holy Spirit rather than ourselves?

What if we focused on one day at a time, rather than immaturely deciding what the whole year should look like before we’ve even woken to our alarm on January 1st?

I believe God invites us into a daily relationship with Him because He knows that on our own, we won’t accomplish anything — but in partnership with Him, day in and day out, the sky is the limit.

Consider this:

• Didn’t God feed Israel manna each day?

• Didn’t Jesus encourage us not to worry about tomorrow, but to take each day as it comes?

• Isn’t it His prayer that declares, “Give us this day our daily bread”?

“Our Father is a one-day-at-a-time God.”

Yes, He has access to the blueprints of our life’s master plan.He knows what this year — and all the years ahead — will look like for us.

Yet His greatest desire is relationship.

And like any healthy relationship, intimacy is cultivated one day at a time.

He is always in position to meet with us.The response is up to us.

One Word: ORDER

For me, the daily choice comes down to one word…

ORDER.

Our God is a God of order.

From the very beginning, in the story of creation, God chose to execute in an orderly fashion. Each day had a divinely created purpose:

• Day 1: Day and Night

• Day 2: Sky and Atmosphere

• Day 3: Land, Sea, and Vegetation

• Day 4: Sun, Moon, and Stars

• Day 5: Sea Creatures and Birds of the Sky

• Day 6: Land Animals and Man

• Day 7: God Rested

Knowing that God is omnipotent — fully capable of doing anything in any fashion — yet choosing to create the world one day at a time, even inserting a full day of rest, proves to me that our God is one of order.

Since I have been created in His image, I should also strive to live a one-day-at-a-time life of order.

“If we are created in His image, order isn’t optional — it’s intentional.”

What Order Looks Like

Right Priorities

In my own life, order looks like:

• Choosing to go to the Word each morning rather than scrolling or responding to emails first

• Making a conscious effort not to fill every evening with busyness so family time comes first

• Choosing to give my first fruits in a tithe rather than spending or hoarding

It’s simply taking His priorities and making them my own.

Obedience

Order also looks like obedience — the most painful, yet most powerful, aspect of daily living.

Our world is filled with distractions, many of them delivered straight to us through that ironically named “smart phone”:

• Social media

• Amazon

• My bank account

• My inbox

None of these are inherently bad, but few of them lead us to the rest and peace God intended.

There are so many voices vying for our attention, yet His way is the only way that leads to fulfillment.

The key?

• Being quiet enough to hear His voice

• Being disciplined enough to respond with a “yes”

“Obedience doesn’t always feel right — but it always leads right.”

Often what God asks of us stands in stark contrast to what the world expects. It requires faith, dependence, and the decision that pleasing God matters more than placating anyone else — ourselves included.

It may be painful in the moment, but we choose obedience because we trust the One who is directing us.

His way is better.

Trusting the Path

The beautiful thing about choosing order each day is that Scripture promises us divine direction.

We don’t have to make grand forecasts about where we hope to be at the end of the year.

We simply make a daily decision for godly order, while trusting the Lord to light our path.

It is a slow journey.There is no jet-plane fuel in God’s travel plan.

But in choosing His way, we experience character refinement and growth that prepares us for what He already knows lies ahead.

“God’s timing may be slower — but His destination is always better.”

An Invitation to Walk With Him

Psalm 32:8 says it this way:

“I will stay close to you, instructing and guiding you along the pathway for your life.I will advise you along the way, and lead you forth with my eyes as your guide.So don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn when I take you where you’ve not been before.Don’t make me tug you and pull you along. Just come with me!”

What an invitation.

We are invited to walk the pathway of life with the Creator of Life — in close proximity, step by step.

When I view the coming year as an intentional, daily choice to order my steps with Him, I realize there is no better way to live.

A Final Encouragement

Wherever you find yourself today — whether in peace or chaos — know this:

Your Father desires to walk each day of 2026 in ordered step with you.

And in doing so, may this truly be your best year yet.

Happy New Year! 🎉