Christian Living

My 2025 Word of the Year + My Process for Choosing a Word of the Year

Happy New Year, friends!

It’s crazy for me to believe that 2024 has come to a close. As I’ve been reflecting on 2024, I’ve been amazed at all the Lord allowed me to do in 2024 and the ways He worked in my life.

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A post shared by Kelsey Gjesdal (@kelseyleewrites)

I don’t remember when I started choosing a word of the year, but it has become a cherished tradition for me. I know New Years Resolutions are not for everyone, but I truly enjoy sitting down each year to reflect on my goals from the past year, pondering over how I’ve grown, what the Lord has taught me, and how I hope to grow in the new year. For those who are curious about choosing a word of the year, I thought I would share my process, in case it is helpful for you as you think over your goals for 2025.

My Process for Choosing a Word of the Year

Usually a few days before the new year, I will sit down with my goals and word-of-the-year sheet. I read through it and ponder how I’ve grown, thanking God for what He’s done in my life. I pray over the goals I want to continue from the previous year and over any new goals I have for the new year. I believe prayer is essential when creating goals or resolutions for a new year. I find that in my own strength, I will set too many goals, focus on the wrong things, and burn myself out trying to accomplish personal growth in my own strength. But when I partner with the Lord and allow Him to guide my goal-setting, it provides peace, knowing that He is the one who sanctifies me and works in me to make me more Christ-like. He cares about every aspect of my life, whether it be health, relational, work, or spiritual goals. So, why not allow my loving, heavenly Father to guide my goals for the new year?

After working on some goal-setting for the new year, I ponder the word-of-the-year from the past year and think about the ways God used that word in my life. For example, my 2024 word of the year was Trust. As I reflected on 2024, I could clearly see times where the Lord grew my trust in Him, challenged me to trust Him when I wanted to trust in my own understanding, and proved Himself to be faithful no matter what. Once I’ve made these reflections, I spend time praying over what my word of the year should be for the new year. Sometimes, I have a word right away that I know will be my focus for the new year. Other times, I pray about it for several days until I feel I’ve chosen a word that sums up what I feel the Lord is wanting me to learn.

My word of the year is always connected to a main Scripture passage, along with several other supporting Scriptures. Once I’ve solidified my word for the year, I print off a sheet with my word of the year followed by the Scripture passages I want to meditate on related to that word. I’ll also print off my goals for the new year. Then, I’ll tape these sheets of paper up next to my bed, so I will see them every day.

My Word of the Year for 2025

About a week before New Years Day, I sat down on the couch, my computer in my lap, praying over my goals and word for the year. I had no idea what word I wanted to choose, even though I’d already been thinking and praying about it. I thought about letting “trust” roll over for another year, but that didn’t seem like what I should do this year. I prayed about it as I typed up my goals for 2025. Eventually, all my goals were typed up and I still didn’t have a word.

I jumped up from the couch and started pacing and praying, wondering if I would have to wait until New Year’s Day to choose a word for the year. But then the Lord brought a Scripture to mind.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7 (NASB95)

I immediately grew stiff, because the word God highlighted was not the word “rest.” It was “wait patiently.”

I don’t like waiting. The past few months had really brought my distaste of waiting to the surface. Why in the world would God highlight “wait patiently” as my word of the year? This word felt like a negative in my mind, sort of like a necessary evil. But then the Lord brought to mind the words of a sweet friend of mine at church, who reminded me that it is in the waiting that we are sanctified.

Waiting is an everyday part of life. There is always something to wait for. We wait in line to pay for groceries. We wait for our food order to be delivered at a restaurant. We wait for others to get ready for an outing or to meet us somewhere. We wait for a new job, for healing from pain, for a long-awaited answer to prayer, or for our longings for the future to be fulfilled. We wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, where all wrongs will be made right, and we will spend eternity in His presence.

Waiting is a part of being human. There is no question about that. But the question is, how will I respond to the waiting? The Lord has challenged me to focus on waiting patiently in 2025, to rest in Him because He will fulfill His good purposes for me in His own good time and in His own good way.

Here are some more Scriptures about waiting patiently for the Lord (emphasis added):

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, Romans 9:21-23

Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God. 1 Corinthians 4:5

so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Colossians 1:10-12

So, my words for the year are “wait patiently.” And I look forward to seeing how the Lord will use these Scriptures to deepen my love for Him and sanctify me more into the image of His Son.

Happy New Year, friends! May God receive all the glory for His mighty work within us throughout 2025!

With love,

Kelsey

P.S. Did you choose a word for the year? I’d love to know! Leave a comment and let’s chat about it!