We just started a new year, 2026. Many people try to make New Year’s Resolutions for the year to come. They might hope to exercise more, to eat better, to be a nicer person. Most people will not keep them. They give up too soon. Changes take time and practice. It usually won’t happen overnight.

Still, it can be a great time to begin again or start something new. What it will take is consistency. If you practice whatever your trying to change every day, it will get easier as the year progresses. Here are some ideas for change in this new near. Choose one (or two) and stick with it!

• ·       Practice cleaning your room once a week. Choose a day to clean and stick with it. Soon it will become a habit. You might even find yourself picking up every day just to help things along.
• ·       Pledge to say kind things instead of hurtful things.
• ·       Greet everyone you meet with a smile.
• ·       Practice saying “Thank You” when someone does a kind deed for you.
• ·       Practice saying “Yes mom” or “Yes dad” when your parents give you instructions.
• ·       Read some verses in your Bible every day. Be sure to try to live them out too!  
• ·       Practice “being second” – Let someone else go first or in front of you. Open doors for others and let them go in first.
• ·       Learn a new hobby or skill. It’s even more fun if you share it with someone else.

These are just a few things you can do to start the New Year great. The key is to stick with it and practice your new skill every day. It will help you to grow and help others also.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)

I hope you have a great and exciting year this year!

Love Papaw