Growing up in a small family, the holidays were always quiet affairs. I loved our intimate gatherings and relished my role as one of just two kids at every celebration (though I doubt my extroverted younger brother shared my sentiments). But I always wondered what it would be like to grow up in a big family with dozens of relatives at every reunion.
I would go on to find out exactly what that was like when I married Luke, whose parents have eleven siblings between them. Family get-togethers with Luke were loud and crowded and NOTHING like what I was used to, but despite feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of cousins and tÃos and tÃas, I was intrigued and charmed by the dynamics and traditions of big-family holidays. One tradition I quickly grew to love was the annual Nativity play performed by the teen-and-under set each Christmas Eve. Tom, my father-in-law, was the play’s director and producer, and he did an excellent job of instructing his children, nieces, and nephews in their roles. Thanks to Tom and his pageant, Jesus was always at the center of our family Christmas gatherings.
My participation in those huge family holidays ended when Charleston, Luke, and I moved away from California in 2016. The annual Christmas play went on hiatus after Luke’s parents followed us to Texas the following year. But this past Christmas, Tom returned to the Director’s Chair with a new set of actors to perform in the Nativity. Charleston and Kali took on roles of Joseph and Mary, Sully made an excellent innkeeper/shepherd, and my nephew Collin dazzled as the angel Gabriel. (Nico, sadly, was too fussy to make his acting debut as baby Jesus and was replaced by an inanimate understudy.) The surprise star of the show was my two-year-old niece, Brooke, who gave the sweetest little lamb impersonation you ever did see.
Though she didn’t know it, Brooke’s sheep imitation was pretty true to character: adorable, but in need of guidance and prone to wander. Sheep are notoriously helpless creatures who are easily lost and confused and have even been known to plunge blindly off of a cliff. So it’s rather unflattering, though not very surprising, that the Bible often uses the analogy of sheep in need of a shepherd to describe us humans. I’ll be spending a lot of time sitting with this metaphor in the coming year, as I’ve chosen Shepherd as my One Word for 2025!
It was way back in 2015 (coincidentally the year I became a mom) when I first adopted the practice of choosing One Word to give vision to my year. (Past words have been Light, Faithful, Wholehearted, Wonder, Joy, Abide, Grace, Love, Integrity, and Open.) Each of my Words have manifested differently: some have figured prominently into that year’s experiences and spiritual growth (Abide and Wonder come to mind here), while others (like Light and Grace) have been little more than an addendum to my year. In my decade of living out this practice, I’ve learned that my One Word is most impactful when embraced with specificity and intentionality. With that in mind, I’ve spent some time brainstorming what the adoption of Shepherd as my One Word will look like in 2025.
In the coming year, I will be approaching Scripture and other faith-related resources (books, sermons, podcasts, etc.) from the perspective of a sheep in search of a shepherd. I want to gain a deeper understanding of what Jesus means when He says He is The Good Shepherd, and what it looks like for me to hear the Shepherd’s voice and heed His call. My goal in this is to move beyond learning about the Shepherd and begin following Him more wholeheartedly, trusting His guidance and listening closely for His voice.
Because specific disciplines are important for helping me stay on track with my Word, I’ll be reading one book per season about shepherds and shepherding. I will also be participating in a Bible study with a theme of Walking With the Shepherd (the study was my inspiration for this year’s Word!), and I’ll be praying through Psalm 23 every day as I reflect on The Lord who is my Shepherd and provides for my every need.
In addition to praying Psalm 23, I will spend focused time this year meditating on my theme verse, Hebrews 13:20-21, which invokes the image of Jesus as our Shepherd, and asks God to equip us to do His will. This benediction from Hebrews encompasses the theme of pursuing the Shepherd while also commissioning believers to do God’s will—which touches on another way I am adopting the word Shepherd this year. As my kids’ mom, I (along with Luke) have been gifted the responsibility of shepherding their young hearts and pointing them to THE Shepherd. Their spiritual formation is of utmost importance, and this year I want to be more intentional in my role as shepherd of my own little flock. Discipleship has always been an important part of our family life, and I want it to be even MORE prominent for us in 2025. This is a year for following the Good Shepherd and also learning how to be a shepherd for my precious lambs.
Do you have a practice of choosing One Word for your year? If so, I’d love to hear about it, and if not—there’s still time! I recently heard a podcaster remind her audience that ALL of January is still the “New Year,” so even though the month is halfway over, it’s not too late to set goals and intentions for 2025!