Stepping Into 50 with Joy and Trust
As 2025 came to a close, you might have felt a lot of different things.
Maybe it was incredibly hard year, and you’re more than ready to leave it behind. Maybe it stretched you in ways you didn’t expect, or required more strength than you felt you had. Or maybe it was a good year — one that brought healing, growth, or renewed hope — and you’re curious about what 2026 might hold.
Wherever you find yourself, before rushing into the new year, I want to invite you to pause.
Not to dwell on the past.
Not to replay every mistake or painful moment.
But to reflect.
Not to replay every mistake or painful moment.
But to reflect.
What did 2025 teach you?
What did it reveal about your heart, your needs, your limits?
What do you want to carry with you into 2026 — and what might you gently lay down?
What did it reveal about your heart, your needs, your limits?
What do you want to carry with you into 2026 — and what might you gently lay down?
So often, the beginning of a new the year comes with pressure. New goals. Big plans. Long lists of things we want to fix or improve. And while there can be value in looking ahead, there is also something deeply grounding about honoring where we’ve been.
As you look toward 2026, instead of setting ten new goals or trying to overhaul your entire life, what if you focused on just one thing?
One intention.One gentle focus.One area where you want to live more intentionally.
For me, joy has been that focus for the past few years.
Not because life has been easy — it hasn’t. Not because grief magically disappeared — it didn’t. But because joy became something I had to choose, notice, and make space for. Not in loud or dramatic ways, but in quiet, faithful ones. Learning to let joy exist alongside the hard, rather than waiting for everything to feel “better.”
And over time, that intentional focus has changed more than just my mindset. It has shaped the way I care for myself — including my health.
Maybe this year, your one focus is health.
Not in a punishing or perfection-driven way — but in a way that honors the body God gave you. Choosing habits that support life, energy, and joy… instead of burdening your body even more.
Not in a punishing or perfection-driven way — but in a way that honors the body God gave you. Choosing habits that support life, energy, and joy… instead of burdening your body even more.
I know firsthand how easy it is to put your own health on hold. When you’re caring for others, carrying responsibilities, or simply trying to survive hard seasons, self-care can feel optional — or even selfish. For a long time, I did exactly that. And eventually, I paid a steep price for it.
But a few years ago, I decided something had to change.
For over three years now, I’ve been doing a simple 14-day reset — not as a quick fix, but as a rhythm of care and support for my body. And the transformation has been profound. My energy has rebounded. My autoimmune disease has been in full remission. I feel better now than I did when I turned 30… or even 40.
Tomorrow, I turn 50 — and I can honestly say I am healthier than I’ve been in years.
That is not something I take lightly.
I see God’s hand in every part of that journey. I see His grace in the way my body has healed, strengthened, and responded to being cared for instead of ignored. I am deeply thankful to be on the other side of a season where I felt depleted and unwell — and to now experience vitality, clarity, and renewed strength.
God has done miraculous things in my life. And one of them has been teaching me that caring for my body is not separate from my faith — it’s an act of stewardship. An act of gratitude. An act of obedience, even.
So maybe as you step into 2026, your focus isn’t about doing more… but about caring better. Maybe it’s about choosing joy in your body — fueling it, supporting it, listening to it, and honoring it as the gift it is.
And if joy feels like the right focus for you, ask yourself this: What is one small thing you could do this year to encourage joy?Not ten new habits.
Not an all-or-nothing plan.
Just one small, doable step.
Not an all-or-nothing plan.
Just one small, doable step.
Maybe it’s making your health a priority again. Maybe it’s creating space for rest. Maybe it’s choosing nourishment over neglect. Maybe it’s letting go of guilt and receiving joy with gratitude.
Small choices, made consistently, matter more than we realize.
As we close the chapter on 2025, let’s honor all that this year held — the beauty, the grief, the growth we didn’t ask for but received anyway. And as we step into 2026, may we do so with intention, grace, and hope.
Here’s to carrying forward what truly matters...
to honoring the bodies and lives God has entrusted to us...
and to stepping into the new year with joy — not perfectly, but faithfully. 💛
to honoring the bodies and lives God has entrusted to us...
and to stepping into the new year with joy — not perfectly, but faithfully. 💛
The 14 Day Resetis a simple approach with gentle steps to help you prioritize your health. Please reach out with any questions. I would love to walk with you as you reclaim your energy and feel better in 2026.
If you’re walking through grief and need a quiet place to process, I have created resources specifically for you in my Etsy shop, HOPE & HARMONY PAGES. These three digital printables work on their own and hand in hand with each other:
30 SCRIPTURE CARDS FOR GRIEF. If you know someone these might encourage, I would be honored if you’d share these resources—and my blog—with them.
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