Time – #OneWord 2025 – Perennial Educator

Each year since 2019 I have selected a word of the Year! This challenge started through a blogging group I was a part of back in 2019 and I’ve continued using it as a reflection tool even after the blogging group dissolved! I use the word selected to reflect on throughout the course of the year and it helps me ground the experiences I have in the year! As almost each word on the list below, this one stumbled into me!

2019 – Moments (Here is the link to the Blog Post for this Word)

2020 – Heart (Here is the link to the Blog Post for this Word)

2021- Rise (Here is the link to the Blog Post for this Word)

2022- Patience

2023- Obedience

2024 – Hope (Here is the link to the Blog Post for this Word)

2025 – Time

It was December 31st and I was working on Gabs’ and I’s Grotto Trail project. Each day when we’ve had good weather I’ve been working on this little trail through some nearby woods that we’ve added small little grottos for a meditative walk. I’ve worked on it for about twenty to thirty minutes tops each good day I could get out there and I find that it is also my meditative prayer time working on the trail. We started it back in June 2024, which is incredible for me to think about. Since that time we started clearing the entrance of the trail to now, we’ve got five grotto locations cleared and picked out. As I was reflecting on this back in December 31st I found myself thinking of the impact of Time.

We often find ourselves complaining that we never have enough TIME. Or maybe that is just me thinking that! 😉 Yet, there is a lot of truth to that feeling! TIME is a precious gift that we only have so much available each day of our lives. As I’ve continued reflecting on the word Time I’ve gotten lost in the richness and vastness of its layered meaning. Depending on where you look some sources share that there are 264 words containing the word TIME, others say as many as 465 words. A common thread of these words was TIME being used to describe a current condition, event, or season such as in words like wartime or downtime.

As I’ve thought more about these various takes on the word TIME, I’ve captured below a few of the ways on how I could apply those concepts of TIME in my 2025 year:

TIMER: A Timer could be many things. It could be a timer on a microwave or oven, it could be an alarm set for the next activity in a classroom, or it could be a someone tracking TIME at a sporting event for a basketball shot clock or track meet. Yet, all these share a common thread — accountability. Each timer is keeping TIME to help us move forward; whether that be consuming food we have prepared or the next play in a game. As we enter into 2025 what are the timers we have in place to help us keep moving forward? It could be that accountability partner who gives us the nudge when we are wrestling with the next step in a project or a decision in life. It could be a planner system that helps us organize and keep pace with goals and plans we have laid out for the year. A timer helps us ensure we use our TIME wisely and holds us accountable when we may not be.

TIMELY: We’ve all heard the phrase, “Timing is EVERYTHING”! As a big fan of Lord of the Rings, there are countless times throughout the movies where the day is saved at the exact right moment. Yet, what the movies do an excellent job in sharing, and what we often forget, is that prior to the “perfect timing” there was a lot of preparation or work that led up to that moment. The movies take TIME illustrating all the side adventures that Gandalf finds himself on before each of his big saves. Timely is not instant nor is it absent of prior preparation. We often live in a world where immediate gratification is the code and where the hopes of a lucky break enrapture many. I heard it best shared that luck occurs at the intersection of prior preparation and ideal timing. Being timely is rooted in being relevant for the moment we live and relevant for the opportunity being asked of us. Relevant doesn’t mean popular or the “new thing” it means addressing a pressing and important need for us and others!

TIMEOUT: When we were young timeout was usually not a welcomed word. As we got older we were introduced to a new meaning of the word while we played sports. As I think about the word Timeout the similarity between the two uses have more in common than meets the immediate eye. Both instances are a TIME for regrouping and reseting; providing a space for reflection, correction, and planning. In our own lives taking a timeout can be a space well needed for prayer before a big decision or TIME to get away from distractions and recharge with yourself and family. Using a timeout is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of maturity and self-leadership!

TIMELESS: My final word centered around TIME for 2025 is timeless. As the name of my personal blog suggests I think long and hard about what it means to be “Perennial”. When I think about those plants that are perennial they return year after year and in many situations outlive the ones who planted them. My prayer is that the seeds I sow in this life bear timeless fruits. When I ponder how it looks for us to sow those seeds in this season of life it boils down to how we chose to interact with each other. A challenge I had left a young friend earlier yesterday was, what instrument did he want to serve in the hands of the Lord? St. Francis calls upon us in his powerful and moving prayer, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” When we submit our lives, will, and spirit in obedience to be wielded freely by the Lord; he alone will ensure the words we speak, the steps we take, and the lives we touch have lasting impact in his timeless garden.

Gabs and I have been experiencing this blessing by allowing God to lead our efforts with our small little soap business, Mustard Seed Dairy & Creamery™! He planted on our hearts a crazy idea of bringing the stories of scripture alive in a sensory experience that could be coupled with daily devotion and meditation upon scripture! We are excited to see where God will lead us on this journey as we sow seeds for his kingdom! You can read more about our business here!

Each year I put together a playlist inspired by the word I’ve selected, here are some songs for our TIME in 2025!! 😉

1. Matthew West – Miracle Time