One Word

Word of The Year

The new year is here, and there is always the thrill of new beginnings for me around this time. My thoughts ricochet around my brain like a silver marble in an exciting pinball game. 

I have filled my head with loose ends to tie up, aspirations to achieve, and responsibilities that call me. Yet, each thought sets off a light, igniting different areas of my life and screaming for attention. I long to rest in God’s presence. My heart yearns for peace and calms after a busy holiday. I carefully carve out time and space to reflect on this past year. Seeing how far God has brought me and what He has done daily is always a marvel. After all the Christmas shopping, festivities, and birthday celebrations, I want to be present with people I love, especially my children, during the remainder of their winter break. But, of course, other things call for my attention, like work, house cleaning, and the five o’clock dinner dilemma, and still, there is one word that calls me.

I need to enter the new year with purpose and intention. I wait for God to give me one word that will guide and frame the next twelve months of my life, but I know that can only happen if I’m not scampering around. I need stillness in both body and mind. I need to be in the presence of my creator to be able to hear. I can’t see and listen to what God has for me when I’m too busy or going too fast to pause all of my responsibilities or extra activities. I can’t hear if I don’t take time to unplug because I let it all get too loud.

But in the thick of it all, there are pockets of time. Small tender moments make up parts of my everyday life when I can intentionally choose to set aside what cries for my attention to sit and be still. 

I often find these moments when everyone is in bed, and the kitchen and living room are empty and lifeless. I can sit with my journal and my favorite pen and begin to fill the hollow space with a conversation between God and me. I take five slow, deep, intentional breaths because although the house is quiet, I still need help quieting my soul. I reveal a crisp new journal page full of possibilities and begin to write.

Dear God, what a year it’s been.

I reminisce on all that has happened over the past year. My fingers trace through the pages of my planner with its markings, crossed-out to-do lists, and scribbled notes, remembering the events and what God showed me about Himself in those times. I forgive the stickiness from whatever my children spilled on it and continue to reflect. I meditate on all the things to identify the lessons and recall the moments I felt and all that I have learned. Finally, I study to see if there has been an overall course God guided me to follow. So often, my word was illuminated throughout the year in many ways — though in ways I didn’t expect. 

For several years, I have chosen one word or phrase that has helped me stay grounded. It provides a solid foundation to return to when I wander busily and aimlessly through my year. Then, when I get bogged down by all the ordinary things and countless decisions that lay on my shoulders, I have to take a step back and recall my word for the year. 

And I am prompted to ask myself am I living it out? How am I living it out? What is God teaching me about this word, and what is He teaching me through it?

The word God whispered in my ear, birthed out of scripture, and imparted by the Holy Spirit serves as a gentle reminder and an insight into how God wants to direct me. 

As I look toward 2023, God reminds me of the times I faithfully said yes to God’s invitation to me this past year. Some yes’s came with tears of frustration, some with heartache or resistance, but because I was faithful, so was He. So now God is asking me to focus on those moments.

This word will affect every decision I make, both big and small. It will likely mean I must say yes to people and things with more significance as my word demands that I give away my most precious and unreplenishable commodity of time. My word for the year will shape how I spend my time and money and set rhythms in my life. And although I can’t see or understand everything God has in store for me, I know that when I live out my word for the year, it will be how He unfolds His purposes for me.

I wonder what God is whispering to your soul as you look toward the new year. I’m curious about what word He has for you and how He will work that word out in your life. God is speaking, and He wants you to hear. God wants you to draw near, to be bold in obedience, to stay rooted, and to grow more into maturity in Christ.

Be still, even when things are not, and seek the word He has for you, seek His purpose for the year ahead. Let’s live this coming year intentionally!