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Do You Have Ears?

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My two youngest grandbabies are close in age. Born a few months apart, they are both somewhere midway between the age of one and two. They are discovering more about themselves and learning to communicate. They are both learning the names of their body parts and it’s a fun game to play with them. Willow, who is actually my great granddaughter, is quite exuberant about it. She grins with glee and points triumphantly when asked “Where’s your nose?” or “Where’s your mouth?” But she’s really cute when asked about her ears. She takes both hands and tugs them out for you to see!

My grandson knows this game, too. Johnny doesn’t live near me, but I get to enjoy seeing his progress and talking to him through video chats. Recently, during one of our chats, I asked him “Where’s your nose?” He pointed to his nose and said, “nose”. So I asked, “Where’s your chin?” He appropriately touched his chin and replied, “chin”. Then I asked, ” Do you have ears?” And he startled me by saying, “No.” I chuckled, because it was cute and unexpected and funny. But it also caused me to think of another, somewhat similar and more serious question. That is, do you have ears to hear?

Little boys often had their own thoughts and while pursuing them did not always hear what you said. Many people of all ages were hard of hearing in all kinds of ways.
–from the novel Kingdom Come by Daphne Simpkins

The above quote reminds us that it isn’t just the ‘hard of hearing’ who are hard of hearing. I mentioned this in my previous blog post, I Hear You! In that post I wrote, “But it isn’t just those who suffer from hearing loss that do not hear. There are other reasons that people fail to listen. It has to do with focus. When a person is focused on themselves it affects their ability to hear.” Distractions, such as television and cell phones, also affect focus and can keep people from hearing. But sometimes the reason people do not hear is simply because they don’t want to!

The expression “Talk to the hand!” accompanied with a raised hand in front of the face blatantly makes this clear. The unspoken and implied part of that statement is “cause this face ain’t listening.” It means you might as well talk to my hand, because I don’t want to hear what you’re saying! Sometimes people will cover their ears and make a lot of noise with their mouth as a way of refusing to hear. One Sunday morning I noticed a lady in the congregation sitting with her hands pressed over her ears. When I asked her about it after the service, she told me she didn’t want to hear what the preacher was saying. We may not literally cover our ears, but many times we do close our ears to what we do not want to hear.

Usually if someone refuses to listen, it is because they don’t want to hear another viewpoint or be given advice or receive any instruction. But quite often it also means they don’t want to hear the truth. This is especially true in spiritual matters.

Thomas Jefferson made his own Bible. He cut up his Bible, eliminated the portions he didn’t like or didn’t want to believe, and pasted the remaining verses into another book. This cut up version of the Word of God (It’s only the New Testament.) has actually been published and is available for purchase! This is a prime example of refusing to hear God’s truth.

It isn’t always easy to hear God’s voice. We can get it all mixed up. But sometimes the problem is our unwillingness to hear what He has to say. Sadly, many of us do not have ears to hear from God. From the very beginning, God longed for the people He created to hear Him. As much as we want God to hear us, He also wants us to hear Him!

From the Old Testament prophets to the last book of the Bible, God implores His people to hear Him. The book of Jeremiah is filled with pleas from God for them to hear Him, and over and over again the response is: “but they would not listen”. Jeremiah calls them “foolish people… who have ears and hear not”. One of the saddest verses in the Bible is Isaiah 28:12. “God has told His people, ‘Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.’ But they would not listen.” (NLT) I wonder what blessings we miss, because we refuse to hear.

Do you have ears to hear? In the book of Revelation there are several verses that repeat the exhortation: “He that has ears, let him hear…” The New Living Translation words it this way: “Anyone with ears to hear must listen..” We all have ears. The question is: are we willing to hear God?

Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear…
–Isaiah 42:23

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I Hear You!

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I have a dear friend who is a blessing to me. She’s quick to offer me assistance when I need help and is willing to go the extra mile for me. (And I mean that literally.) We attend the same church, so I see her often. At a recent social function she was helping me get a hot cup of tea. In discussing what kind of tea I wanted, I mentioned that I had a hankering for some Constant Comment which is one of my favorite teas. A few days later she approached me after the Sunday morning church service with a gift bag in her hand and told me it was a belated birthday gift. There were several items in the bag, but the thing that gave me the most joy was the box of Constant Comment tea at the bottom of the bag! I was moved by the fact that she actually heard me! She heard, she listened, and she responded. Not everybody does.

I never expected to be hard of hearing. In my naivety, I had this inane idea that it wouldn’t happen to me. After all, I have enough issues to deal with! But it did happen to me and it is both frustrating and annoying! It’s frustrating to me and annoying to others. Sometimes as hard as I try I cannot hear what the other person is saying. I don’t mean to be rude or to ignore them, I just can’t hear!

But it isn’t just those who suffer from hearing loss that do not hear. There are other reasons that people fail to listen. It has to do with focus. When a person is focused on themselves it affects their ability to hear. They cannot hear because they’re too busy talking or intent on planning what they’re going to say next or thinking about something totally different than what the other person is saying.

Technology also affects our focus and ability to hear. The television blaring in the living room and the phone in our hand draws our attention away from those around us. It’s happened to me. I suddenly become aware that someone is speaking and I sheepishly ask “Oh, are you talking to me?”

Years ago there was a popular Verizon commercial that featured a man going around to far away and unusual locations with his cellphone and asking “Can you hear me now?” It became a popular catchphrase that is still used today. We say it with a chuckle and yet it’s a question that sometimes needs to be asked. Can you hear me now? It’s a joy to have a friend respond with “I hear you!”

But have you ever asked God that question? Have you ever wondered if He hears you? Let me assure you, He does! God’s answer to your question is YES! I hear you! Isaiah 59:1 tells us that God is not “too deaf to hear your call.” When nobody else will hear you or listen to you, He will! A line from an old, old chorus reminds us, “He’s not too busy to hear your heart’s cry.” Consider these verses:

The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
–Psalm 34:17 (NLT)

I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
–Psalm 17:6

In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God, He heard my voice from his temple, and my cry came before Him, even to his ears.
–Psalm 18:6

…the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping, the Lord has heard my supplication, the Lord will receive my prayer.
–Psalm 6:8,9

However, we are warned in Scripture that our sins can come between us and the ears of God. That verse in Isaiah that tells us God is not deaf goes on to say this in the next verse, “…your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear.” How disheartening! But we have these encouraging words of David:

If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear. BUT certainly God has heard me, He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God who has not turned away my prayer nor His mercy from me.
–Psalm 66:18-20

God is a ready listener. He leans toward us ready to hear us when we call on Him. If we humble ourselves before Him, He promises to hear our prayers. God hears us! He listens, He understands, and He responds!

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Classic Cars and Restoration

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Each year in August the village of East Aurora, NY holds an annual classic car show. Main Street is closed off to traffic for the day and the street is lined with old cars and trucks, most of them beautifully restored. This is a large event and the street is filled with people walking and admiring the numerous entries.

I enjoy going to the show, not only because of the classic cars that are there, but because of the memories they bring to my mind. The old Plymouth Belvedere reminds me of the one my husband owned when we were dating, and the large pink Mercury reminds me of my father. My father was a Mercury man. Whenever he bought a new car, it was always a Mercury. One year he couldn’t decide between purchasing a blue or a pink Mercury, so he discussed it with the family. A vote was taken and the general consensus was “Let’s get blue.” So he went and bought the pink one! The year I saw the gorgeous pink Mercury at the car show, I had to smile and take a picture.

The car show is more special to me now, because my older grandson has an entry in it! Cody owns a 1985 Dodge Ram50 truck that he has restored and made his own. It’s an unusual little truck that is admired by many.

My grandson has a new restoration project. He’s been working on an old motorcycle. He likes sharing his progress with me, showing me the parts he’s gotten and taking me into the garage to see what he’s done. He has sent me a few pictures, too. Look at this!

But that’s not how it looked when he started! It took a lot of work to get it to look like that. At one point in time, Cody’s beautiful red motorcycle actually looked like this:

When Cody is restoring an old vehicle he spends a lot of time exploring junk yards and searching eBay for just the right part he needs. And then comes the struggle of putting it on and making it work. The restoration process takes a lot of time and patience.

I am reminded of a little chorus that was popular when my children were young:

He’s still working on me to make me what I need to be;
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
the sun and the earth, and Jupiter and Mars,
Oh, how loving and patient He must be,
‘Cause He’s still working on me!

Did you know that God is in the restoring business? And He does it with love and patience! One of the greatest things I am thankful for is that God is so patient with me.

Recently I saw a Facebook post that read simply and sadly, “I have failed!!!” I do not know the circumstances behind that statement and I was taken aback by the words. My response to the person who wrote it was, “Haven’t we all.” But this is when God can come into our lives to do the great work of restoration!

First and foremost, God desires to restore our relationship with Him. This is accomplished by a simple act of faith in what has already been done for us!

Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God, because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us…our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son…
–Romans 5:1&10 (NLT)

But this is just the beginning. The restoration process continues because we are an imperfect people. We make mistakes and do wrong things. And sometimes our bad choices have dire consequences, not only messing up our lives, but affecting those around us. We become despondent, and in despair we hang our heads and cry, “I have failed!” Can restoration take place even then?

We tend to think that restoration is getting back what has been lost, but that’s not completely true. When a car is being restored, what is broken must be fixed, but what can’t be fixed needs to be replaced. Broken pieces and ruined parts are forever gone. A restored car is NOT the same car it originally was. With different parts and a new coat of paint, the car has been given a new life. It doesn’t get back the pieces that were ruined. And this is a truth for us as well. Some consequences of our actions can’t be changed. We can’t always go back to what we were or what we had, but we can be restored and given a new life!

Job lost everything. His health, his possessions, his family. But at the end of the story he is restored! His health returns and he has an abundant life. But the possessions and houses that were destroyed are forever gone and so is the family he lost to death. But God blessed him with new possessions and another family. He was restored and given a new life!

King David was a “man after God’s heart” and yet he really messed up! He committed a grievous sin by committing adultery with the neighbor’s wife and plotting to have her husband killed! There were consequences to his misdeeds. He suffered loss. But David knew about the God who restores! His prayer of repentance is found in Psalm 51. In the middle of his prayer, he prays for restoration.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous spirit.
–Psalm 51:10-12

Being restored by God isn’t about what He does for us; it’s more about what He does in us. Remember the line from the 23rd Psalm, “He restoreth my soul.”

We can be assured that God can bring good out of the worst circumstances. We can trust Him to heal the heartache, to mend the broken pieces, and to restore our ruined lives. He can make “something beautiful” out of any mess!

If there ever were dreams
that were lofty and noble,
they were my dreams at the start,
And hope for life’s best were the hopes
that I harbor down deep in my heart.
But my dreams turned to ashes
and my castles all crumbled,
my fortune turned to loss,
so I wrapped it all in the rags of life
and laid it at the cross.

Something beautiful, something good,
all my confusion He understood.
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,
but He made something beautiful of my life.
–Bill Gaither

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My Perfect Daddy

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Okay. I admit it. I was a Daddy’s girl. Oh, I loved both my mother and father, but my Daddy was special to me. In my childish eyes, he was perfect. And I was his “little princess”. My father was funny and fun. He sang silly songs like “There was a hole in the ground, the funniest hole you ever did see…” and he made us laugh with the stories he told about his childhood. He was the middle child in a family of 13 children (mostly boys) so he had plenty of stories to share!

My father attended a one room school. (This was another source of many of his stories–oh, the pranks the boys did in that school!) He didn’t go beyond eighth grade. Because of this, my father had great aspirations for me. His dream for me was that I go to law school and become, as he put it, a “woman judge”. This was an amazing thing considering his background and his ultra conservative upbringing, and that this was prior to the feminist movement. I didn’t fulfill that specific goal he had for me, but I did go to college and he cried the day he drove me there. I was the first one in the family to attend college and he was proud and pleased.

One day after I was grown and married and out of the house, my mother approached me with a concern. She shared with me that she often thought my father favored my older sister and she worried that I had been hurt by it. I was stunned!! I always thought I was the favorite!

It is not unusual for children to admire their fathers. Recently I was watching my great granddaughter crawling towards someone when her father happened to walk by. She promptly did an about face and crawled after him instead! I had to smile. What adoration she has for her daddy!

…the glory of children is their father.
–Proverbs 17:6

There is so much more that I could say about my father. He was a good man who loved God, served in the church, and provided for his family. He worked hard as a salesman, but also maintained a small farm with a very large garden and a beautiful orchard. He took pride in his apples and grew the largest peaches I ever did see! I was happy to call him my Daddy.

As I got older, however, I began to realize that maybe my Daddy wasn’t so perfect after all. My father was a jokester, but sometimes he could joke too hard. My father loved playing games and it was serious business with him. He could be too competitive and at times the games would end with tension and arguments. I began to see that he could be too focused on himself and too demanding of others. He had a stubborn streak that could get him into trouble. I don’t share this to belittle him, but rather to point out that there is no perfect Daddy. Or is there?

We recently celebrated Father’s Day. In our Sunday morning worship service, one of the men expressed to the congregation that as hard as he tries to be a good father, he knows that he fails. But he went on to say that he was thankful for the “perfect heavenly Father who can stand in the gap” when he fails.

In the book, Ragman and other cries of faith, the author Walter Wangerin Jr shares this thought written in a letter to his son:

I had hurt you. I sat you down in a chair and left the room. I went out and I myself burst into tears.
It was a terrible, thwarted thing–for me to cry.
I said, “God, how can I know if I’m a good father to this child?” I said, “God, please you be father for him–“
And quietly I understood: in fact, God is your father, and a better one than I.
–from “To Matthew, at His Confirmation

It was Jesus who encouraged His followers to view God as a father. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He instructed them to address God as Our Father, making His Father their Father. He was introducing them to a closer, more intimate relationship with a holy God. But how close can we get to “Our Father, which art in heaven”? Do we dare call him Daddy?

Daddy is such a sweet, childish name for a father. When we get older, we shorten it to Dad. But I called my father Daddy, even as a teen. And sometimes as an adult I would slip and revert to that tender loving term of affection for my father. Daddy. Can our heavenly father be a daddy to us? In Galatians 4:6 we are told that because we are children of God, we can cry out, “Abba, Father!” That word ‘Abba’ is an Aramaic affectionate term for father, the equivalent of papa or daddy. It speaks of a close, intimate relationship between father and child. That is the kind of relationship we can have with God!

My earthly father was my Daddy, but it is God, my heavenly Father, who is my perfect Daddy!

My Daddy and Me

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A Little Giant

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You don’t have to be big to be a giant.

When I was engaged to be married, I remember telling my future husband that his mother was “small but powerful.” Just a couple inches over five feet, she was small in stature, but I saw something bigger in her. She had a strength beyond her size. She was a strong force in the family. She had to be! She was the mother of four big, boisterous boys and a feisty, determined daughter! I was a bit intimidated.

I was the first one to marry one of her sons, and his mother wasn’t too sure she liked the idea. She had a right to be concerned. Paul was only 18 when we got married!! Relatives and friends were telling her she should not let it happen. So she did what a good mother should do. She prayed! This is the true source of her strength. After much prayer, God assured her that this was indeed His plan and that He would provide and take care of us – her son and first daughter-in-law. And Mom C has been on my side ever since!

My mother-in-law is strong because of her intimate relationship with God. This close walk with God began when she was a child. I love her story of praying as a child that God would teach her to play the piano. She got up the next morning, sat down at the piano and played!! She’s been playing for Him ever since.

She is also strong because of her resourcefulness as well as her reliance on God. She has always done what needs to be done. As pastors of small churches, their financial situation was not easy. She knew how to stretch those dollars, and how to pray for what was needed. When she became a widow at the age of 54, her dependence on God continued. It is only now as I have faced the grief of losing my own husband the same way she lost hers that I understand and appreciate even more the strength of this little woman.

I must confess that there have been times of tension between us, perhaps an underlying sort of competition on my part, needing to prove myself as a young wife, a new mother and a pastor’s wife. This was especially true when she lived with us for a season. I could get snippy. She had a better way of dealing with it. She talked to me about any problem we had. I’m not talking about the fierce competition between us when we played Scrabble or Boggle or Phase10. That was pure fun! We had many good times, laughing and crying and praying together, often accompanied with a cup of tea.

My mother-in-law is now 91 and struggles with memory loss. She tends to repeat herself and has key phrases that she says to different people. But I have noticed that the repetitive statements she makes are all positive in nature. She can’t keep track of all her grandchildren and great grandchildren, forgetting who belongs to who. But she knows me! Almost every time she sees me, she hugs me and says with a smile, “You’re more like a daughter to me.” And I am honored.

She is smaller now than ever. Physically frail and shrinking in size, she doesn’t seem to be the strong woman of influence she once was. But to me she is still that little giant I admire.

Size isn’t what makes you a giant. It’s who you are, what you do, and who you rely on that determines your strength and success. I recently read the exciting Biblical account of David and Goliath, and I wondered, “Who is the true giant in that story?” Is it Goliath who in spite of his bigness ends up dead on the ground with his head cut off? Or is it the young lad brave enough to stand against the enemy because he knew God and relied on Him for the victory?!

I recently heard someone say, “Don’t underestimate the small ones.” And think about this:

Many small people, in small places,
doing small things can change the world.
–Eduardo Galeano

This is especially true when that small person or small place or small position is used by God. I am reminded of Susanna Wesley, a simple mother who taught her many children to love God and who is now known as the “mother of Methodism” because she was the mother of John and Charles Wesley. She had this to say about smallness: I am content to fill a little space if God be glorified. It is this kind of attitude that Jesus was referring to when He said, Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.(Luke 9:48)

I am grateful for my mother-in-law, for her example and her godly strength. A preacher and teacher as well as wife and mother, her knowledge of the Scriptures was astounding! And if you asked her to pray for you, be assured she did, and still does! I am proud to call her Mom. She is indeed “small, but powerful”, a little giant for God!

Her sons tower over her, but still look up to her!

(My husband is not pictured as this was taken a few months after his death. Also, since this picture was taken one of her other sons, Lawrence, has passed away. Her grief is great, but her faith is greater.)

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What Am I Here For?

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Most people talk to themselves and that’s okay. It’s normal. I have heard it said that it’s okay to talk to yourself, just don’t answer yourself! But the problem with that lighthearted admonition is that most of the conversations I have with myself begin with a question. And it seems the older I get the more questions I have to ask myself! I ask questions like: Why can’t I sleep? What am I going to do today? Where did I put that thing? What was I doing? What was I saying? What was I thinking? (Although that last one is often said with an exclamation mark!!) Recently the question I have been asking is: What am I here for? You know the scenario. I go from one room into another, I stop and look around, and I am at a loss. I can’t remember what I wanted to do in that room, so I have to ask myself, “What am I here for?” But sometimes when I ask that question I have something deeper in mind.

What am I here for? What’s the point? What’s my purpose in this world? I feel this more now as I am elderly (I hate that word!) and disabled and dependent on others. I am a widow, my children are grown and on their own, my role in life has changed, and so I ask, What am I here for? Perhaps I am not actually asking myself, but in reality I’m questioning God.

Many years ago a children’s worker overheard a mother ask her daughter as she retrieved her from the children’s church service, “Did you have fun?” The teacher reprimanded the mother, “We’re not here to have fun.” I still cringe at the memory. What a way to dampen a child’s enthusiasm for church and for God! But her statement leads us back to the question, what are we here for?

It’s a question philosophers wrestle with and theologians strive to answer.

The great existential question that has plagued every philosopher all the way back through recorded history goes something like this:
‘Why are we here?’ To state it theistically, ‘Why were we created?’
–Tyler Staton
(Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools)

It’s not an easy question with a simple answer. We only scratch the surface of the why and the how. But I do know God’s answer for me.

When I was a young pastor’s wife, new to the ministry and full of self-doubt, I struggled with insecurity. I remember clearly attending a large conference for ministers and their spouses. I felt so small and insignificant, plain and awkward in a crowd of beautiful, successful people. I was a nobody full of self-pity. But God saw me! As the congregation stood to sing a popular chorus of that time, God spoke to me through that song. They sang: Thou art worthy. Thou art worthy, O Lord. For Thou hast created, hast all things created, and for Thy pleasure they are created… and God personalized it for me! I sang it like this: and for Thy pleasure I was created!! Imagine that! You and I exist for God’s pleasure!

That chorus is based on Revelation 4:11.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they were and are created.
–Revelation 4:11 (KJV)

Most newer Bible versions translate the phrase ‘for thy pleasure’ as ‘by thy will’. He created us, because He wanted to. The NLT puts it this way: “For you created all things and they exist because you created what you pleased.” And He is pleased with what He created! In Genesis, He calls it good. In Psalm 139 we are described as “wonderfully complex” and “marvelous”. Simply put, we are here, because He wants us here and it pleases Him. He is pleased with what He has made and that includes you.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
–Psalm 139:17 (NLT)

Certainly our being here is not just a whim to please a far away God. He is very personal and has a purpose and plan for each individual. That is made clear to us in Scripture.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
–Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

The NLT of this verse declares we are “God’s masterpiece” and the AMP describes us as “His own master work, a work of art”.
Now that’s something to think about!

When my husband passed away, I moved from a three bedroom house to one room in my daughter’s home, so I had to drastically downsize. I had choices to make. This included what pictures to keep and hang on the walls of my new room. I couldn’t take many, but one I decided to keep was a picture of a woman alone in a field with a sickle in her hand. I chose it for a reason. It’s a reminder to me that even though I no longer have my partner in ministry, as a woman alone, I still have work to do for God.

Sometimes I still struggle and wonder and ask the question, “What am I here for?” But then I remember and I tell myself that I am here for Him!

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The Word of the Year

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At the end of this past year Merriam-Webster announced what they considered to be the word of the year for 2023. Their choice was based on the increase in the number of searches online about that particular word. That word was “authentic”. It’s a great word that speaks of truth and honesty. If something or someone is authentic, they are the real thing, not a fake or reproduction. In this world of facade and deceit, it’s not surprising that people are searching for authenticity. But that was last year’s word. What’s the word of the year for 2024?

There is a popular trend now of choosing “your word” for the new year. Instead of making new year’s resolutions, people now choose a word to be their focus for the year ahead. Perhaps one word is more nebulous and easier to keep than the specifics of a resolution. But I like the line from a poem called “One” that says, “One word can frame a goal” (author unknown). It’s not a bad idea. People’s choices include words like hope, believe, courage, balance, rest, trust, wisdom, and strength. The word for the year is up to you. It’s your word, your goal, your focus.

I was not planning on choosing a word for the new year, but this year a word found me! As I was reading my Bible one morning several weeks ago a single word caught my eye and there it was, my word for 2024. CONTINUE!! This is my word of the year, because there are times that I don’t want to! I don’t want to continue, because I just don’t feel like it and I’d rather just give it all up. Fear and doubt, discouragement and weariness can get in the way sometimes. I wouldn’t be surprised if you occasionally feel that way, too. But when I struggle God has a way of nudging me with Scripture, encouraging me with song, and speaking to my heart.

The high school I attended had a public speaking class that every student was required to take. One of the assignments was to recite a poem of our choice. My friend chose a poem called “Keep A-goin’!” (I remembered the title because I thought it was such an odd poem to choose. However, I don’t have a clue what poem I used, so maybe her choice was better than mine!) I decided to see if I could find it and here it is:

The more I read that quirky poem, the more I like it. It speaks of a diligence and a positive attitude that no matter what comes our way, we need to keep on going with life.

To continue is not always easy. But it is what we must do! It’s also called perseverance, longsuffering, and commitment. This is especially true of our belief in God and what He wants us to be and calls us to do. The Bible exhorts us to “hold fast” and to “stand firm”. My husband used to tell our children to “Buck up!” Don’t quit! And, most importantly, don’t give up on God.

Here is the Bible verse that gave me my word of the year and instructed me to continue:

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
–2 Timothy 3:14,15
(It’s the KJV because that’s what I was reading at the time.)

Do you have a word for this year? I would love to know about it. If not, I recommend the word “continue”.

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