New Year, New “Word!”
“Renewal.” It’s a process God has made me acutely sensitive to over the past few years. On the outside, I’d say that renewal is code for “aging,” or more politely “maturing.” On the inside, it’s the process known in Christian circles as “sanctification” – being polished by life’s circumstances and God’s will into a clearer image of Jesus. And let’s just say I’ve had at least a little bit of polishing these past few years. You?
Choosing “renewal” as my theme word for 2026 has come with two Scriptures on repeat in my heart. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness, with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord.” Just three-quarters of a page down in my Bible is 2 Corinthians 4:16: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
When our older son was a newborn, my husband was assigned to a work project that took him out of town during the week. He would catch a ride with a co-worker to the airport early every Monday morning. On Friday afternoons, I’d strap the baby in his car seat and drive over to greet Daddy as he got off the plane, welcoming him home for the weekend. Every week, my husband would marvel at the transformation in our boy’s appearance, growth, and new accomplishments. From Monday to Friday, he could see significant changes. On the other hand, those same changes didn’t even show up on my radar because I was with our baby all day, every day (and lots of nights, too, if I remember correctly). The changes were sure but subtle.
When I became a follower of Jesus, when I was born again, a transformation began. My new life in the Spirit commenced – the process of becoming more like the One in Whose image I was created. Just as with our infant son, the changes have been sure but subtle, and they keep coming.
Since that moment of conversion, my soul has been and continues to be a work in progress in my Maker’s hands. Just as an infant becomes an adult through countless imperceptible changes over a period of years, God has been at work on me – shifting my focus, attitudes, and understanding so that my thoughts align with His; stripping away harmful habits, false ideologies, and deep insecurities so that my heart finds confidence in the Truth of His Word; and strengthening my faith muscles, biblical convictions, and confidence in His care so that my feet follow faithfully in His footsteps. It’s been a slow, ugly-beautiful process – an unveiling of His glory, in His timing, and in ways of His choosing. But all of it is leading me closer and closer to Home.
So I’m going with “renewal” this year. In God’s upside-down kingdom, I’m being transformed through His rich, unhurried fashioning from an aging grandmother crowned with silver locks to a brand-new creature fit for the very presence of the One Who wears the crown of the ages.
What “word” has the Lord through His Word spoken to you for 2026?
