You made it to 2026! Some of you are counting the blessings of last year, and some of you are thankful a nightmare of a year has ended! Some of you are worried about the unknowns of this next year, and others of you are already burdened by the fullness of this year’s calendar.

I’m starting this new year with a statement I’ve been unable to shake from Ian’s sermon on humility during our Advent series last month. He said, “Humility is the preoccupation with God’s glory and the good of others.” This definition of humility from 2025 is my prayer for our church for 2026. How incredible would it be for Veritas to be preoccupied with God’s glory and the good of others?

As you're making your resolutions, setting goals, and getting that calendar lined up, let's make a commitment to start this new year focused on God before anything else. Like Jesus said, let's "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33). That's the real cure for worry as we head into the new year!

It's also the perfect way to deal with all the busy distractions life throws at us. After a super busy night healing people and driving out demons, Mark tells us what Jesus did: "And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed" (Mark 1:35). He was totally focused on God, and that focus gave him a clear view of what was next, keeping him from just giving in to what his disciples and the crowds wanted (check out Mark 1:36-39).

Wouldn’t you love to have 2026 marked by a lack of worry and clarity of purpose? The key is the preoccupation with God’s glory and the good of others. Before you are occupied with _____ (you fill-in-the-blank), what would it look like for you to be occupied with God first? Here are two practical ways to live this out:

• Begin each day preoccupied with God in devotion with a Bible
• Begin each week preoccupied with God in church with fellow believers

If God isn’t your pre-occupation, you’ll go through life this year riddled by worries beyond your control or overwhelmed by demands that distract from your true purpose. May God graciously give us a desire to be preoccupied with him and kind enough to help us quickly realize and repent when we’re occupied with something else ahead of him.