What Is Your Theme Word This Year?

Do you have a theme word for the new year?

Transitional seasons invite reflection, refocus, and realignment. Naming a theme word can help guide your priorities and decisions as the year unfolds.

In my previous article, Worship Comes First, we reflected on the idea that if our lives are truly dedicated to the Lord, then worship isn’t a secondary activity. Rather, it is the orienting center of our regular, everyday lives (see Romans 12:1).

Find the Word, Shape the Season

As I worked on goals and plans for the year ahead, I had an epiphany of sorts—and it became clear what would guide me in this next season.

In my thinking, dreaming, and planning—one important project came into focus. The goal was clear, but demanding: finish the work and release it in early February.

That process of reflection revealed the word that named my theme for this year:

Steadfast.

Now, let’s turn the question back to you:

What is the theme word you need for this year?

Not a theme that sounds impressive—but the one that will help you live faithfully, finish well, and trust God in the process.

Where the Word Became Work

My keystone Q1 project is finishing and releasing a body of music I’ve been working on for some time—a project now called Keep the Faith. The first song is titled "My Heart Is Steadfast."

Based on Psalm 108:1, the Hebrew word translated as steadfast is נָכוֹן (nakon), which can mean “ready” or “firm.” The psalmist describes a heart that is settled, resolved, grounded, engaged, and ready to worship—“I will sing and make music with all my heart”—despite very difficult circumstances.

His confidence flows from the trust that is a response of worship to God’s steadfast love.

As I contemplated the meaning of the psalm, and my song, and the long process it has taken to finish and release this music, I realized something: steadfast isn’t just a word in the title. It’s the connecting idea undergirding the entire project. More than that, it feels like the heart posture God is inviting me to lean into this year.

For me, steadfastness means being committed to finishing and sharing the work God has entrusted to me—without fear, without delay, and without overthinking. It means finishing with excellence, releasing by faith, and trusting God with what comes next.

If you’re curious, I’ve quietly been posting rough mixes in progress for My Heart Is Steadfast and a few of the other songs on Bandcamp (robstill.bandcamp.com) as part of this unfolding journey. They’ll be taken down as final versions replace them—but more on that soon.

What About You?

Do you have a theme word for this year? If so, I’d love to hear it. Just hit reply and let me know.

Closing Blessing

May the Lord establish your heart in his steadfast love.

May he give you grace to be faithful, the courage to finish well,

and peace as you trust him with what comes next.

Amen.

The Lord bless you!

~ Rob

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