Happy 2025! We have made it. A blank canvas before us, fresh mercies, unknown journeys, and numerous adventures ahead.

I love the start of a new year. There is something thrilling about a new number on that calendar and untold possibilities of the next 365 days. Something so freeing about a fresh start, new beginnings. And after a lot of roadblocks, discouragement, and exhaustion in 2024, watching as the number on the calendar switched truly felt like a victory.

2024 is done. 2025 is here. We made it.

That’s not to say I wish 2024 had not happened. For me, the year was made up of stepping stones. I grew from the trials of 2024 and found ways forward even when the road seemed impossible to navigate. I stumbled…stumbled far more than I would have liked. But through the love of God and family and friends, I always found my way back up and kept going.

And I have now stepped into 2025, humbled, grateful, and stronger.

A Word for 2025

As with every year, I’ve chosen a word to focus on for these next 12 months. Last year was BOLD, which was a much-needed word during a year that took lots of courage and facing hard things and living and loving boldly in God’s will. I’m still practicing that one and hope to never stop. But it’s time to pour my focus into another word as well.

This year, I went back and forth on a few different things.

I am in a fallow season still. Heart surgery took a lot out of me. 2024 in general took a lot out of me. My body is still on a road of healing, and as much as I get excited about diving into January with lofty goals and grand plans, every time in the past few months I thought about how I should tackle 2025 and got all these big ideas in my head, it felt…wrong. I felt overwhelmed and like something wasn’t right.

It finally hit me one day while I was discussing it with my mom—the words came to me that I was feeling all along but kept stubbornly ignoring. And it was this: I’m trying to jump seasons instead of embracing the season I’m in.

This is not the season for tackling big, overwhelming, life-changing projects. This is the season of healing.

I was fighting that, hard, for a long, long time. But once I finally admitted it to myself and those in my life, I felt a release. That overwhelm and sense of wrongness vanished and suddenly I could see the way forward again. And more than that. Feel excited about it.

2024 was a year of survival. 2025 is a year of healing. Maybe 2026 will be the year for big projects and changes, maybe even later in 2025. But right here, right now is a time for recovering, recharging, letting the soil rest so it will be ready to produce great fruit later. And, despite the constant pressure the world and we, ourselves, shove onto our shoulders, such seasons are needed and beautiful.

Once I finally came to this conclusion, I found such peace in the last few weeks of December and actually looked toward January with excitement instead of the dread and overwhelm of before. And I began to think and pray about what word should be 2025’s focus.

A couple came to me. Rest, for one. That’s pretty obvious and was a high contender. But then I had another one that kept coming back to me. Create. That felt like an…odd word for a year I’m supposed to be resting and healing, but I couldn’t get it out of my head.

Then I was talking with a couple of my dearest friends about words for 2025 and one of them used the word refreshment. My brain pinged.

Refreshment.

That was what I needed and was the word that perfectly combined the others running through my mind. Refreshment encompasses so many things.

• It is not just resting, but resting intentionally, finding ways to refresh the body and mind and soul in that rest, doing things that recharge me and purposely help heal my body.

• It is refueling. Not mindlessly consuming things, but using my time to refuel my creative energy and avoid burnout and discouragement.

• It’s pouring into things I love. Not forcing myself into exhausting activities that just leave me drained, but using what time and energy I have to create things I truly love and fill me up.

• It is peaceful and rejuvenating. Because I do not just want to seek refreshment from within, but pour it out. To have a refreshing presence. I want to seek God’s truths and not give into the lies my own mind feeds me. I want to be an encouragement, to shine His light in the darkness, to have a refreshing spirit in the day to day, moment to moment.

I want to embrace this year with peace and joy and hope. To let go of the discouragement and exhaustion that battered me so much during 2024, and refresh my mind in God’s love and rest, knowing good things are here and good things are ahead.

After 2024, my body, mind, and soul need refreshment. And I am so excited to implement this word and see where it takes me.

What Does That Look Like?

It’s one thing to choose a word, it’s a whole ‘nuther thing to apply it? Anyone feel me? 😅

As we were approaching 2025 and now that we’re here, I’ve been brainstorming and praying and having good talks with loved ones about how to approach these coming months. Last year was a huge lesson in taking things one day at a time, not forcing myself into doing everything all at once but working on things bit by bit as energy allowed, and learning to be looser with my schedule and letting go of plans as needed.

These things do not come naturally for me. At all. Thus the whole “a huge lesson” part. But I’m learning and growing and by God’s grace getting better at going with the flow and taking things slower. And I’m going to use those stepping stones of 2024 in growing in these things to truly implement them this year.

Normally, I make big lists and plans in January for the year. But this year, the goal is to…not have goals? If I make specific goals and deadlines, I get a little obsessive and push myself past the limit to reach them. And when you’re body is in recovery mode that’s Not Good, to say the least.

So this year I’m taking things month by month, week by week, even day to day, and so I’m not constantly exhausting myself with the pressure of having things hovering over me that need doing, I’m pulling back a lot.

Last year, especially by the second half of the year, I slowed down on social media a good deal, and it will be the same this year. I’m not holding myself to a set posting schedule. Instead, if I have something I wish to share and the energy to do so, I will. But I’m letting go of that pressure and guilt we set on ourselves to constantly be producing content. One day, I hope to again, but this is not the year to make myself ragged by continuously getting content out there.

If I’m quieter here on the blog or social media, if it takes me a while to answer comments and DMs and emails, I promise I still adore talking to you all. Unfortunately, an immense amount of screen time used in that way tends to zap me of physical energy very quickly, so I’ve had to limit how much I do these days. (Ah, to live in the same town with all my internet friends where we could just talk to each other regularly in-person. #dreamlife) I also tend to exhaust myself when I have a bunch of tasks like social media posts hanging over me, so limiting how much needs doing brings a lot of rest of mind which, in turn, offers rest in body.

The goal here is refreshment, yeah?

I’m not dropping off the face of the planet and, as I said, this isn’t forever. One day I hope to be much more active again. But I’m feeling called to a season of rest, and finally, finally letting go of being stubborn about it and embracing it.

I can be a slow learner, but I’ma tryin’.

BUT. The good news about pulling back from some things means pouring that energy into other things, and that is a great hope for this year.

Remember how I said I was feeling create as a possible word for 2025? WELL. Though I’ll be continuing to take things slower, with the energy I do have, I’m planning on creating. I have a number of stories just begging to be started or continued, and as I take things slower, as I spend more time recharging and refreshing my mind, the more I get the itch to pour it out into stories. I am feeling a swell of creativity building up within me and have so many stories I wish to pour into this year. So though I may be quiet, I will not be idle.

This time of refreshment includes creating things I love and pouring myself into doing my favorite thing: storytelling. And I am excited.

I don’t know what all this year has in store. I cannot make promises of the types of things you’ll see from me or dates of anything. It is a year of taking things day by day.

But it will also be a year of healing. Of breathing in the quiet days. Of seeking out things I love. Of taking things slower without the guilt. Of being still. Of learning more and more how productive and beautiful rest can be. Of finding fulfillment in the quieter things of life. Of resting in God’s peace even in the storms and trusting Him in the unknowns.

Of seeking refreshment. Refreshment physically, refreshment spiritually, refreshment mentally, and refreshment creatively. And learning to be a presence of refreshment myself.

A new path lies before me, and I know it won’t be smooth sailing, but I am excited to take the first step and see where it leads.

Where to Find Me

Though I may be quieter throughout the year, I won’t be disappearing completely. You can find me in my usual places, but where I’ll be pouring more focus this year will be…

• MY NEWSLETTER: My newsletter goes out on the first Thursday of every single month and is the best way to see what’s going on in my life, get a sneak peek at my writing projects, see the books I’ve been reading and movies and TV shows I’ve been watching, and I also offer encouragement to creators on finding balance in this crazy journey of creating. I’d love to have you long for the journey. SIGN UP HERE.

• FICFRENZY: The Fiction Frenzy Writing Challenge group is growing more and more, and the seasonal events will continue this year! (In fact, the first ever mini Winter event launches January 17th and goes to the 31st!) The Discord group is one of my favorite groups and I’m over there regularly. It’s such an encouraging and just plain FUN writing group, so if you’re looking for a writing community to join this year, we’d be absolutely thrilled to have you. (Seriously, we get so excited when new members come.) FIND THE INFO HERE.

• WRITING COACHING SERVICES: If you’re like me and ever-seeking balance and joy in your writing journey, I’m still open for one-on-one writing coaching services this year! I would love to work together and find the best path for your unique writing journey to cut the overwhelm and find the wonder and joy of storytelling again. I also specialize in helping develop character work to get to the heart of your story. If you’re feeling bogged down by your writing goals this year and looking for simple ways to balance it all with everything else going on in your life and love it again, I feel you, friend, and would love to help make your journey easier. BOOK A CALL HERE.

2025. I do not know what lies on the horizon. I do not know where the journey will take me. But as I continue to heal and seek God’s will, I do know one thing:

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. – II Corinthians 12:9

My rest and strength come from Him, and there is nothing more refreshing than that promise.

For all of us, as we step into 2025, I’m praying for renewal, for fresh mercies, for courage and faith, for creative fulfillment, for healing, for refreshment, and remembering that in all things God’s kingdom can be glorified if we continuously follow His path. The best is yet to come!

Happy 2025, friends! 💛

Happy New Year! Do you choose a word for the year? What’s something you’re particularly excited about for 2025? Any special events? goals? dreams you’re working toward? I’d love to hear about it!