2025 Word of the Year

Most people chose a word of the year as they are walking into the new year. I think it helps set intentions, goals, and if done right can create a mindset that focuses on that word- or the concept around the word- for the whole year. I have always tried to do this, and always failed miserably. I look back at my words of the year and feel frustrated because the months that came *after* I picked the word did not coincide with the mood that I wanted to feel aligned with that word. Now, this is no hate towards anyone who does a word of the year and enjoys doing that each January! I think it’s a wonderful idea- I have just found that it doesn’t work for me.

So, this year, I decided instead to pick a word of the year after the year is over. I wanted to look back and be able to reflect on what the year has been like, and then pick one word that encompasses what I walked through in 2025- the hills and the valleys.

After some thought and reflection, I pretty easily picked my word of 2025:

2025 started out with a potential job change on the horizon. Then, we walked through nearly 5 months of waiting, wondering, and questioning whether or not this was the right choice and whether or not it was even going to happen! There was a lot of unknowns and the even the timeline of the unknowns was unknown! This season of unknown brought a season of deep loneliness for me as well.

Then, a new job did happen and our whole life pivoted dramatically. I know that getting a good job at a good place shouldn’t be something to complain about, but any kind of transition is hard- and this transition has involved drinking out of a fire hose on a daily basis from day 1 until now.

So, why faith?

Well, it was by faith that we felt the Lord leading Theo to take on this position. It hasn’t been easy for him or for our family, and the adjustment has been like climbing a steep mountain each and every day. It took faith to take each step and honestly- to get out of bed each morning and keep going. It took faith to not talk to everyone about all the thoughts and processes going through my mind, but to turn to the Lord instead.

I needed a lot of faith when I watched my husband come under the weight of major decisions and responsibilities. I had to trust and have hope that God knows what He is doing when He put Theo into this position. I needed faith when I watched friends and family struggle through things that no one should have to walk through.

And to be honest, I also picked this word because this year I sometimes struggled to actually have faith. I learned that my faith is often weak, and that it doesn’t grow stronger by being passive. I learned that growing my faith takes work and that at its very core, faith is “invisible” – it’s literally the substance of what we cannot see- so it’s hard to see it growing.

It’s interesting to me that Faith is classified as a noun, because it sure does take a lot of thought/action on my part.

It’s also interesting that after I’ve written this entire blog post, it seems like “faith” is a negative thing- it is challenging to walk any path that requires faith. And, yet- the benefits of having faith and growing in faith are monumental. I hope that as I walk forward with the days that the Lord has given me, that I can look back at the year 2025 as the year that grew and deepened my faith.

What about you- did you pick a word for 2026? If you could pick one word that would sum up 2025, what would it be?