Happy New Year! We are now a week into 2025. Have you decided on any resolutions? Have you kept the ones you have made?
I don’t make resolutions. Or, I don’t make New Year Resolutions. The pressure to be original and the lack of hope that I will actually stick to them put me off. Instead, I ask God for a word for the year; a word (or phrase) which gives me a clue about what is to come, a word or phrase I can come back to as the year progresses, a word or phrase which I can reflect on at the end of the year and realise God did way more than I expected.
In the past, my word for the year has been trust (involved moving house and a new job), surrender and grace (that was an interesting year!) and last year, the word was renewal. Looking back, I renewed some friendships, renewed some passions and renewed my passport(!), but there was also renewal on a deeper, more personal level. Off the back of the summer trip to Taize, I had a renewed relationship with God. And across the year I discovered more about myself, and got a renewed sense of who I am and who God made me to be. In other words, it’s been a fruitful year, and having a specific word has helped me to see it.
Why not give it a go? Ask God for a word for this year, then watch as the meaning is revealed. It has enriched my faith, maybe it can enrich yours.
The Reason for my Hope Blog 