Choosing a Word, Not a Resolution
It’s that time of year again.
I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions. I’ve tried…many times, and I’ve
failed just as often. I don’t know about y’all, but keeping resolutions has
never been my strong suit.
About three years ago, I heard about choosing a word with God
instead. A word for the year.
I honestly can’t remember what my first words were, but each year I pray and ask God to guide me. He always does. That word ends up showing up over and over again throughout the year, more times than I can count. Sometimes that word becomes a power struggle between my flesh and my faith.
Two years ago, my word for 2024 was Surrender.
That was the year I surrendered everything. The Moses complex and all. I
didn’t know what ministry was going to look like for me. I truly thought it
would be women’s ministry. But God said something different, and I did not see
that coming.
The more I followed Him, the more He opened my eyes….meeting people right
where they are, loving people in the mess, loving His people despite it all. He
taught me compassion and grace. He reminded me that we don’t always know what
someone is carrying. He showed me how to care for people and how to help, even
when I didn’t know how.
2024 is a year I will never forget because it marked the beginning of Jesus
Alone. I never imagined it going in that direction. I honestly thought a
women’s conference was it. But wow…I was wrong.
That bigger God move unfolded in 2025, and that leads me to the
next word.
But before 2024 ended, God asked me to say yes to college…something
I never thought I would do again. Yet here we are. A year later. 2025.
And I finished my first full year back.
2025 Obedience
Obedience was hard for me. It still is. But I’ve gotten better at not
asking why and instead saying, Yes, Lord…even when it’s
uncomfortable.
This year was hard. Balancing family, ministry, work, and college was
incredibly stressful. There were moments I wanted to throw in the towel on more
than one thing. But God kept pushing me forward.
It was a year of refining fire…and it was rough. I’m not going to
sugarcoat it. Friendships were tested. I asked God why…more times than I can
count. I cried a lot in 2025. My heart was broken, but in the midst of that, I
grew closer to God than ever before.
I leaned on Him, and He kept lighting the path ahead. He led Jesus
Alone down roads I never could have imagined. He gave me visions and dreams,
something new for me, but I could see Him right there beside me.
When VBS came, it was perfect timing because I had a break from college.
Then Lukewarm came together, and I had no idea it would land right in
the middle of my college midterms. I cried. A lot. If you had seen me the day
before, you would’ve seen the stress written all over my face. It wasn’t about Lukewarm;
it was everything surrounding it.
But I trusted God.
This year also taught me a lot about spiritual warfare. The enemy doesn’t
play fair. He finds different ways to distract and discourage. I started
recognizing attacks from a distance, until I didn’t. One of those attacks hurt someone
I love. She was caught in the crossfire, and that hurt me deeply.
People I love have walked through hard seasons, too. But the discernment
God has given me has grown deeper each day. My circle has gotten smaller, and
that’s okay. Obedience taught me that trusting God when I can’t see is
essential. Keeping my eyes on the Shepherd is the only way.
So what’s my word for this year?
Dwell.
Dwell in Me.
I believe 2026 will be a year of desperately dwelling in His presence.
I know it will be another year of growth.
I want to leave you with a song.
This is
what I was listening to while I was writing this, and one line in particular
settled deep in my heart:
“In His time, He makes everything beautiful.”
Scripture echoes it so perfectly:
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Looking back, I can see His timing woven through
every season…the surrender, the obedience, and now the call to dwell. Even when
it didn’t feel beautiful in the moment, He was still working.
Comments
Post a Comment