It’s my birthday today—January 1—and there are only 31 more years until I’m 100!
I did the math (with a bit of internet help, of course). That’s 11,323 days still waiting to be lived. Days filled with moments to be noticed and savored. A whole bunch of potential red-letter days.
Oh, my. When you think about it like that, there are so many good moments, days, and years still ahead. And although I can often skate into optimism pretty quickly, I know there are going to be days it feels more like I’m wearing mukluks, trudging through nine inches of snow, with sleet icing my face. Not exactly a graceful glide.
Here’s what my brain keeps circling back to, and my heart won’t let go of. (I didn’t sit down intending to think this way; it just kept showing up.)
I want to intentionally create more red-letter days than I ever imagined possible—not because life is dull, but because I don’t want to rush past what’s already good.
You know, those red-letter days we remember because something meaningful, joyful, or long-hoped-for finally happened.
Not by making life bigger, but by anticipating and noticing God’s goodness.
Not waiting for life to be perfect, but by paying attention to what’s already in front of me.
(I know. It sounds simple—and sometimes it is. And sometimes it’s not.)
Because this is real life, there will be rough days and hard seasons. But by the grace of God, I want to still find something in each day that quietly says Even here, God is faithful. Even today, there is goodness.
Now here’s the deal. And I have a feeling you’ve discovered this too.
I can’t live a full, abundant, faith-engaging life in red-letter awareness on my own.
Sin is real. I mess up. And we live in a broken world where hard things happen.
Fretting comes way too easily (and no, it’s not a spiritual gift), and comfort can quickly become my primary decision-maker, even when God is nudging me forward. Ooftah.
So, no, not every day on my calendar is a red-letter day. (If yours isn’t either, we can form a club—the Mostly Red Letter Days Club.)
But Eugene Peterson says it better than I ever could in Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best. This line made me stop, sit down, pull off the mukluks, and really pay attention.
The only way that any one of us can live at our best is in a life of radical faith in God. Every one of us needs to be stretched to live at our best, awakened out of dull moral habits, shaken out of petty and trivial busywork.
Those words nudged me—OK, pushed me—out of my comfort zone and straight into my red-letter zone.
Which led me to ask a simple question: How do we actually live this way?
If I truly want to walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth (Psalm 116:9), I need to live like I mean it. That looks like:
Studying His Word.
Having real conversations with God, not just handing him a list of requests.
Listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and then, getting up and going.
Is that always easy? Years of living reminds me … not always.
Does it matter? You bet it does.
Is this how we experience a full life? I believe it is.
Here’s what gives me hope, and what makes me reach for my red marker:
God tells us, “Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you.” (Jeremiah 1:4, MSG)
If God has good days planned for us—and I believe He does—then there must be red-letter days ahead. Plenty of them.
This isn’t a resolution. It’s an invitation I’m saying yes to.
So. Will you join me?
Let’s create red-letter days in 2026.
Let’s keep our eyes open this year.
Let’s notice what’s good—even when life is still a little messy.
Because red-letter days aren’t rare.
They’re often quietly waiting to be noticed.
P.S. In your everyday, ordinary days, when something meaningful happens, joy sneaks in, or a long-hoped-for moment finally arrives, send me a note. I’d love to celebrate your red-letter moments, both the little ones and the big ones, right alongside you!
Blessings from my heart to yours in 2026!
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