Once again, my word of the year reveal has rolled around! It’s 2025, which means it is time for me to reveal what word of the year I chose in 2024. I like to mostly keep my word of the year to myself during the year and then share thoughts about it afterward. Curious what word I chose last year? I’ll give you a hint: it relates to butterflies and metamorphosis. Keep reading to find out what it is!
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Did you guess it? My word of the year for 2024 was:
“EMERGE”
2023 was a really tough year for me and my family. December was one of the hardest parts. During almost half of the month, we were staying in a hotel while my dad did mold remediation. It was a very sad time, and I was anticipating moving forward, looking for a glimmer of light on the horizon.
That word held meaning to me in other ways, and I’ll share more of that in this post. Keep reading, because at the end of the thoughts, I’ll give you a peek at my inspiration board for last year. It’s one of my favorites so far!
1. Emerging as a New Creation
A few years back, I was at a conference and heard a message about who we are in Christ as believers. When Jesus saves you, He gives you a new nature. Your old master, sin, is still there, but you are no longer a slave to it. You have the freedom, in His strength, to choose to do right. While at times you still fail and choose to give in to sin, you are no longer a sinner by nature but are a saint because Jesus made you new.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Did you know that a caterpillar has all of the DNA of a butterfly? But it is a process before the caterpillar grows into what it already is by nature: a butterfly able to soar through the air and easily flit from flower to flower. When Jesus saved you, you became a new creation: a saint in His kingdom. But it takes time for you to grow and learn to live as who He made you to be on the inside. It takes time to emerge.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
2. Emerging in Forgiveness
One of areas the Lord touched on in my life in 2024 was the area of forgiveness. My sister and I had the privilege of attending a summer music camp, and forgiveness was the theme in chapel one of the weeks.
Forgiveness is not easy. But one thing that can help change our perspective on it is looking at our own need of forgiveness. Has the person who wronged me hurt me worse than I’ve hurt my Savior? And yet, Jesus freely and completely forgave me–long before I ever asked for His forgiveness.
There’s another aspect to this as well. When someone sins against us and causes us deep pain, they are also hurting God. God loves each person more deeply than we can fathom. We also can’t imagine how deeply He has been wounded by the many who have turned their backs on Him and gone against His Word. And yet He keeps on forgiving. He freely offers pardon to all who will receive it. He doesn’t wait for us to be sorry before He forgives–the repentence just gives us the mean to receive the forgiveness He has already extended.
Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Our unforgiveness is temporary. Once life is over, you and I will no longer be able to cling to it. Why not let go of it now and experience the freedom that comes from forgiving? Thing of those who have wronged you, and in your heart, ask God for grace to forgive. Then say, “I forgive [insert name] for what he or she did to me.” God is ready to give you the strength to forgive today so that you can emerge in forgiveness and freedom and move forward in your walk with Him.
3. Emerging in Humility
Besides chapel services at music camp, we also had team devotions. We went throught he book Humility by Andrew Murray. In case you haven’t noticed yet, those almost three weeks at music camp were very impactful to me in my walk with Jesus. I’m so thankful God clearly opened the door for me to be there.
“Not to be occupied with your sin, but to be occupied wtih God, brings deliverance from self.”
One thing that stood out to me on the topic of humility is that it produces faith.
Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
When the woman showed great humility before Jesus, it wasn’t her humility that He remarked on–it was her faith. And in another place, Jesus made it clear that our pride stands in the way of our belief.
How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
I would encourage you to read the little book by Murray. It had so many good insights from Scripture. Humility is not a dispensable virtue in the Christian life; it is the soil from which all other virtues spring, for it’s when we humble ourselves before God and admit that we can’t do it that He fills us with love, joy, peace, and all of the other fruits of His spirit.
“Brethren, here is the path to the higher life. Down, lower down! This was what Jesus ever said to the disciples who were thinking of being great in the kingdom, and of sitting on His right hand and His left. Seek not, ask not for exaltation; that is God’s work. Look to it that you abase and humble yourselves, and take no place before God or man but that of servant; that is your work; let that be your one purpse and prayer. God is faithful. Just as water ever seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds the creature abased and empty, His glory and power flow in to exalt and to bless. He that humbles himself–that must be our one care–shall be exalted; that is God’s care; by His mighty power and in His great love He will do it.”
4. Emerging in Confidence
While it might seem the opposite of what you would think, humility provides the groundwork for growing in confidence–not in ourselves but in the Lord and who He made us to be. It’s so easy for us to become focused on the little details of life and, in our minds, to make a much bigger deal of them than they really are. Thoughts of people pleasing are often detrimental to our lives. When we are caught by these thoughts, who are we generally focused on? Ourselves. How we look to others. It is when we take our eyes off of self and put them onto Jesus that our perspective shifts, and we can find freedom in His plan for us.
I’ve been doing something practical when those people pleasing thought creep in and I wonder if so-and-so is thinking such-and-such. I mentally ask the question, “What does it matter?” These opinions really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things the way they seem to in our minds in the moment. Putting our eyes on Jesus and seeking Him and His will for our lives is what truly matters.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
5. Emerging in Gratitude
Loss is hard and comes in so many different forms: loss of relationships, loss of health, loss of familiar surroundings are a few of the losses people go through. I went through a loss, and that was one reason I wanted to emerge from where I was, healing and moving forward. God allowed me to make progress in healing from that loss throughout 2024, and then right at the end of the year, a comment on a YouTube video jumped out at me. I’ll share part of that comment here.
“I come from quite the broken home. Growing up, I’d often feel so jealous seeing families such as yours. Now that I’m approaching my 40s, I feel nothing but joy. I’m so so very happy that families like yours exist and these kids will grow up feeling loved and cherished.”
What a beautiful perspective! Before this, when I’d though about what I used to have and now don’t or when I saw others with what I no longer have, it was very painful. I’m not going to say that it doesn’t still hurt, but I can say that since seeing this comment and the Lord changing my perspective, further healing has taken place in my heart. I’ve reached the point where I can be grateful for what I used to have, even though I don’t have it now and still miss it. It reminds me of this quote by Lord Alfred Tennyson. I’m not sure I’d seen the first half before I went searching for the quote, but the second half was in a book I read years ago, and it stuck with me.
I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
Not only is it important for us to be grateful for what we have, it’s also possible to be grateful for what we once had and have lost. And it’s possible to be grateful for the blessings others are given, even if we never get to experience them ourselves.
Ready to see my 2024 inspiration board? Here it is!
This is one of my favorite inspiration boards so far. As I was making it, a color scheme began to emerge to tie things together. This time, I not only put the board in my planner, but I also had an extra copy that I hung inside the cabinet door in my bathroom. I was able to look at it while I brushed my teeth, meditate on the Scripture verses, and think about my goals for the year. I liked this a lot and am doing that again this year.
As a side note, many would call a board such as this a vision board, but I prefer the term inspiration board. Making a picture board does not mean your goals will somehow just happen (believe me, I didn’t reach all of mine), but it is inspirational and quite fun to have a picture version of what you would like your year to look like, especially for a visual person like me.
Continuing into 2025
I hope one or more of these thoughts is a blessing to you on your journey with Jesus! While the Lord so graciously and patiently grew me in 2024, I know there is so much room to learn and rely more on Him each day. Let’s continue pressing forward, friend! God has great plans for you. It’s time to emerge as the new creation Jesus has made you! I’m praying for you!
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Simple Takeaway
- If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, then you are a new creation in Him, growing into who He has made you.
- Forgiveness brings freedom, and God freely forgives those who have wronged us and Him and gives us grace to do the same.
- We can be grateful for the things that we have lost as God heals our hearts.
Let’s Chat!
Do you pick a word of the year? What kind of goal setting do you find helpful for you?
Until next time, happy 2025!
In Christ,
Bethany
