7 Surprising Ways Jesus Teaches Us to Have a Happy New Year As we wrap up 2025 and look towards 2026, we stop saying “Merry Christmas” and start saying, “Have a Happy New Year!” We mean this more as a warm greeting than a serious instruction. But what if was an actual command? I wonder what advice Jesus would give us if we asked Him, “How should I actually have a happy year?” The more I study His life and ministry, the more I suspect His answer would surprise us. Here are seven unexpected ways that Jesus showed us what a happy life can look like. #1 - Be Willing to Walk AwayAfter being baptized and spending 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus returned to Nazareth, His hometown. He declared at the synagogue that He was the prophesied Messiah. When the people rejected Him, their anger turned violent. They attempted to throw Him off a cliff. Jesus did not stay and try to win them over. He did not explain Himself further. He walked away and built His ministry elsewhere (Luke 4:28–30). This wasn’t the first time Jesus had done this. As a young child, when Herod sought His life, God warned Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13–15). Distance doesn’t mean a lack of faith. We don’t need to fear that setting boundaries with others means we are being un-Christlike. Jesus Himself walked away from what was harmful. We can do the same and still follow the Savior. #2 - Be Willing to Carefully Choose Your Inner CircleJesus did not attempt to carry out His mission alone. He called twelve disciples after a night of prayer (Luke 6:12–16). These were not random people he found on the street. These were all people who were willing to share in His vision and commit themselves to the same work. He also traveled and ministered with a devoted group of men and women who shared His spiritual priorities and supported His ministry (Luke 8:1–3). He built an inner circle of people who wanted the same things from God that He did. He didn’t expect everyone to understand or follow Him. He didn’t include those who resisted His purpose. We don’t need to apologize for being selective of our closest relationships. Our inner circle shapes who we become. Jesus shows us that surrounding ourselves with people who share our direction will strengthen our faith rather than weakening it. #3 - Be Willing to Be BoredJesus spent most of His life in ordinary, demanding work. Before His public ministry, Jesus spent decades working with His hands as a tekton, a craftsman. While we typically say he was a carpenter, he most likely worked with wood and stone building foundations, doors, roofs, and furniture. He understood physical effort, routine, and repetition long before He was performing dramatic miracles. During His ministry, He continued to work. When faced with thousands of hungry people, He did not dismiss the problem as inconvenient. He organized the crowd, involved His disciples, and met a real physical need (Mark 6:35–44). Jesus worked constantly. Labor was part of His happy life. We instinctively want to feel like everything we do should be meaningful and exciting. We tend to shun boring and meaningless tasks. But happiness can be found in the mundane work required of us. #4 - Be Willing to Obey God Over CommandmentsI’ve mentioned this before, but Jesus never asked us to obey commandments—He asked us to obey the Father. Obedience means to submit to the authority of. Commandments don’t have authority over us; the Commander does. Throughout His ministry, Jesus honored God’s law, but at the same time challenged the ways people distorted it. He honored the Sabbath in its true spirit, even while rejecting man-made fence laws (Matthew 12:9–13). He didn’t live by rules, He lived by relationships. Trust, not fear, was His motivation. In 2026, let’s examine what and who we are actually obeying. Appeasing a system or an institution isn’t going to bring us happiness. Responding to God’s will is where happiness can be found, even if it means doing what isn’t normally expected of us. #5 - Be Willing to Protect Your SpaceJesus did not construct a stone temple, but He protected places of worship. When the temple was turned into a marketplace, He didn’t ignore it or adapt to it. He drove out those who turned a place of prayer into a place of profit (John 2:13–17). At the same time, He expanded the idea of sacred space. Speaking to the Samaritan woman, He taught that worship would no longer be bound to a single location but would take place in spirit and truth (John 4:21–24). Jesus didn’t allow what was holy to be crowded out or diluted. Wherever He went, He made the space sacred. Let’s evaluate our physical, emotional, and spiritual spaces. We need room for holiness to exist. This might mean cleaning out the “money changers” in our own lives. Jesus shows us that guarding what matters creates peace, not restriction. #6 - Be Willing to Face Danger WiselyJesus confronted real danger directly. He cast out demons, removing spiritual threats from individuals and communities (Mark 1:21–28). He warned His followers about the danger of false teachers by describing them as wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). He also instructed His disciples to flee danger, like in times of imminent persecution (Matthew 10:23). While Jesus didn’t live in fear, He also wasn’t reckless. He protected Himself and those around Him while remaining faithful to His mission. Facing danger doesn’t mean foolish exposure, nor does it mean shrinking back. We can be wise when confronted with danger. It takes awareness, courage, and discernment. We can still follow Jesus and protect ourselves from danger. #7 - Be Willing to Lead with ServiceJesus taught a kind of leadership that is counterintuitive in today’s world. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus set expectations and corrected misunderstanding (Matthew 5–7). He said the truly great are the meek and merciful, not the powerful. He said that leadership doesn’t seek status or approval (Matt. 6:1-18). He didn’t just teach it, He lived it. He washed His disciples’ feet, modeling servant leadership rather than ego (John 13:3–17). We find another example after Peter’s denial. Jesus restored him, recommissioned him, and entrusted him with responsibility (John 21:15–17). This is leadership that heals and strengthens through service. As we evaluate what kind of leaders we want to be, let’s strive to lift others rather than ourselves. Jesus showed us how we can be happy when we empower others to be happy. In shortWe don’t find happiness by clinging, controlling, or isolating. Jesus showed us how we can find happiness in surprising ways. We can be like our Savior and be willing to:
Everything He asks us to do, He did first. I hope that your 2026 is the happiest year yet. True joy isn’t found in shortcuts, or avoiding responsibilities, or ignoring boundaries. It’s found in following Jesus Christ—every single day. Wishing you a happy new year, Heather Ruth Pack Join the ConversationFor the members of the Times of Faith Facebook Discussion group. Here is this month's prompt. How have you found happiness in surprising ways?
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What I'm Currently StudyingIt looks like 2026 is going to be a year of learning for me. I'm taking Dan McClellan's Hebrew course starting in February. It meets twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays until From Feb. 9 - May 14. The cost is $200 and the textbooks are around $50. Here's the link if you are interested. https://www.maklelan.org/ Track Your TransformationOne way to make this your happiest year yet, is by transforming into who you want to be. My Question-a-day Journal gives daily prompts that repeat each month so you can easily track your growth.
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