New Year’s Eve often means people asking what your resolution is — but maybe you don’t have one yet. Or maybe you do, and you’ve struggled in the past to stick with it long enough to make real progress. We’ve been there. Around March, it’s easy to realize what slipped by the wayside in between morning drop-offs, traffic-filled commutes, grocery lists, and endless cups of coffee.

Let this year be different. Instead of white-knuckling your way through change, what if you invited truth, encouragement, and steady guidance into the journey? Books have a way of slowing us down, helping us reflect, and gently calling us toward the life we truly desire — one shaped by wisdom, faith, and intentional choices.

We’ve gathered six books below that make follow-through feel possible again. They speak to real struggles, offer practical next steps, and ignite a renewed desire for growth that lasts beyond January. Whether you want to reset your rhythms, deepen your faith, strengthen your prayer life, or find clarity in a season of transition, there’s something here that will meet you right where you are.

Check them out — and choose the one that will help you step into the new year with hope and purpose.

Welcome to 2017! I know that nothing much changes from one day to the next, but the idea of a new beginning brings with it renewed hope and motivation. This is why many of us make resolutions. We hope to better ourselves and our lives.

This year I’ve decided to have only one goal. I want to read more. I want to read more of the Bible, more commentaries to help me understand what I read in the Bible, and some books that help me know God more clearly.

I failed in this area last year.  But praise Jesus that our salvation and His love towards us does not depend on our performance.

No matter what your resolutions are, make sure that the care of your soul is on that list.

We care for our souls by knowing God through His word. We love Jesus by loving His word. We are empowered to love others more joyfully by better understanding His word. We are saved through the truth found in His word.

2017 should be a year, for all of us, where God’s word is treasured in our hearts transforming our lives.

My teenage son made his first skydive out of an airplane this summer, but the adrenaline rush he got from that adventure cannot compare to the way I feel when I break open the new calendar for the year.

The organizer types out there are giving me a high five right now, and the rest of you think I have a screw loose. But God made all kinds of beautiful people, and I am unashamedly one of the “organizing stuff is fun” kind.

Regardless of your personality, I know that you want to live on purpose. One way to do that is to manipulate your calendar at the beginning of a new year. Let me give you a few of examples of how I’ve done this.

Reminders

For many years, I kept forgetting to send my nephew a birthday card. His birthday lands on the first day of the month, so I would turn the page and think, Oh no, today is his birthday! Now, when I write in the birthdates on the calendar for the new year, I make a note in the month before that says, “Send Drew a card!” I’m not the best at getting cards out on time, but I want to be.