This year, the word the Lord gave me was ABIDE.
Not strive.
Not build.
Not push.
Not perform.
Just… abide.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
— John 15:4 (NKJV)
For a long time, I didn’t realize how much of my obedience had quietly turned into output.
How much fruit-bearing had started to look like effort instead of overflow.
God, in His kindness, began to call me back — not to do more, but to remain closer.
To sit with Him.
To listen again.
To write without rushing.
To create without proving.
To obey without an audience.
Abiding is not passive.
It is deeply intentional.
It is choosing presence over productivity.
Relationship over results.
Faithfulness over visibility.
And here’s what the Lord has been gently reminding me:
Fruit is never forced. — It is formed.
The branch does not strain to produce fruit — it simply stays connected to the Vine.
This season has looked like pruning.
Simplifying.
Letting go of noise.
Stepping away from performance-driven spaces and returning to the quiet place where my calling was first formed.
And I believe this with all my heart:
The fruit God is after in this season will remain — because it is being born from abiding, not striving.
So here I am.
Writing from the secret place.
Learning to remain.
Trusting that fruit will come in its proper time.
“He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.”
— John 15:5 (NKJV)
If you find yourself in a similar season — weary, pruned, called inward instead of outward — maybe this invitation is for you too.
Abide.
The Vine is faithful.