Steadfast - Part 1
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
Landing on my guiding word for 2025 has been like a roller coaster ride. At the end of October 2024, I thought I had been given a phrase to guide me through 2025. In early-December something different emerged. Finally, on the last day of December and first couple days of January, yet a different word transpired. Today, I am certain STEADFAST is my guiding word for 2025.
A few months ago, I received a book in the mail, a gift from my friend, mentor, and fellow word lover entitled Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day! by Kate Bowler. The title fascinated and amused me.
“Beautiful” and “Terrible” are words perfectly describing 2024, for me, a year of “whole soul” contrasts.
I use the phrase “whole soul” because most often, I think of “soul” in terms of the Hebrew word, “Nephish,” which describes the entirety of a person, including the material and immaterial. I imagine four quadrants when envisioning my soul: 1) Physical Body; 2) Emotions/Relationships; 3) Thoughts/Intellect/Work; and 4) Spiritual/Devotional.
2024 was a BEAUTIFUL year in my intellectual and spiritual soul quadrants.
I knew with certainty that the Lord gave me the word DISCOVER for 2024. When I prayed and asked what I was to “discover,” the answer seemed to be “more of Jesus.” Spiritually, I spent much time last year exploring the New Testament book of Luke as well as the Matthew account of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount using a variety of Bible translations. A rich spiritual experience!
Intellectually, I spent quite a bit of time reading books focusing on the kind of spiritual formation that leads to character and behaviors which are in greater alignment with Jesus. Also, “organization” is something I add to this category. From October to the end of 2024, I gave admirable effort to organizing and streamlining our home environment.
Activity in these two areas of my soul felt BEAUTIFUL!
2024 was kind of a TERRIBLE year in my physical and emotional soul quadrants.
Physically, I struggled with a lot of pain. Despite best efforts to manage it, the pain increased, and in early December an MRI revealed the culprit. As many of you know, trying to manage ongoing pain is challenging not only physically but emotionally.
Pain disrupted my sleep, and I’ve never been one who deals well with lack of sleep. Sometimes, I felt irritable and isolated. More than once, I succumbed to the abyss of self-pity and was too often distracted by mindless activities and “poor me” musings.
This all felt TERRIBLE, and as the new year dawned, I was ready for a change!
In Thursday’s Listening on the Journey … post, I will further discuss STEADFASTNESS. I hope you’ll join me.
Remember, I’d love to hear your word for the year! So far, people have said ABIDE, ACCEPT, COURAGEOUS, DISCIPLE, HOPE, LEARN, SERVE, STRENGTH, and “TO BE.” I look forward to hearing more.
Blessings on your journey,
