#happynewyear #wordoftheyear
January 21, 2020
re·main
/rəˈmān/
verb
endure
last
abide
go on
carry on
persist
hold on
live on
stay
persist in being
carry on being
I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, but I am hugely fascinated by words. No surprise, then, that something on various social media platforms caught my eye this year as the calendar neared January 1, 2020. Many people, posting on social media, were encouraging others to choose a word for the year instead of making resolutions. #happynewyear #wordoftheyear
The chosen word should inspire you to think about who you want to be, and the life you want to live in 2020. Some social media enthusiasts chose words such as peace, gratitude, power, and hope.
Again, as someone who likes words, this idea was one I could get on board with, so I chose the word, “REMAIN”. I want to be a person who remains in 2020 and I want my life to be one of “remaining” in 2020 and beyond.
My chosen word was inspired by Ruth Chou Simons’ book, Beholding and Becoming, in which I read:
“Of all the ways one person can prove his or her love to another, the most tangibly communicated is that of remaining: a daughter who remains by her ailing mother’s side, a pastor who remains steadfast at the pulpit week after week, a husband who remains faithful to his wife, …To remain is to look past the inconveniences, the faults, the unnecessary, and less than ideal, and to say with feet planted and heart unwavering, ‘I’m not going anywhere.’”
I want to remain, I want to be that daughter who remains at her aging parents’ side, I want to be a friend who stays. So how can I do that and remain with my word, long after January 12th, the fateful day of new year’s resolutions?
John 15:5-6, says “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.”
“Remaining” is no small concept in John 15. The word, “remain” or “abide” appears 11 times in the first 11 verses. A grape branch lives and accomplishes its purpose only as it stays attached to the vine. Likewise, remaining in Jesus is the only way to live a fulfilling life. To abide in Jesus, is to be satisfied in Jesus. He called us to find our value and purpose in Him, and not in our jobs, financial security, families, and friends. Jesus, the true vine, said we are grape branches which must continually draw life-giving nourishment from Him, or we will wither and die.
The best way for me to remain in 2020 and beyond, is to abide in Jesus, reading His word, fellowshipping with other believers, engaging in corporate worship, praying to and praising God, confessing, petitioning, and being grateful!
I want to be that daughter, that friend, that person who proves my love to others. I want to remain!
#happynewyear #wordoftheyear