Word of the Year
For the past 6 years, I have chosen a word-of-the-year. Through prayer, God has provided a word that I will dwell on for that year and it has been quite a journey learning more about each word.
It started in 2018 with the word Determination.
I was determined to make some difficult changes in my life and it came to fruition. Not because of sitting back and letting the chips fall as they may. No, I had to move some things around, make difficult decisions, and move forward into the unknown. It took an immense amount of trust in God, but as He promises, He held me all the way through and delivered me into a life path that I never would have imagined.
Courage was the word that brought in 2019.
Little did I know, I had a long way to go in finding the courage to truly live as I was claiming to live. Being brought up in the Christian world can make it difficult to take a bold stand. It’s easy to sit back and take everything in at church, read the words on the pages of the bible, and pray. But actually getting out there and living the way Jesus instructs us to? Getting my hands dirty and taking the risk of talking about Jesus to anyone who will listen? That takes courage. I’ll forever be striving to live in that courage, but I’m thankful for what Jesus taught me that year. That it isn’t my courage I need to depend on, it’s the courage God gives us.
2020 is a year we’d all love to forget.
However, the word God gave me was perseverance. And what a word for that year. Despite difficult circumstances and our lives literally being put on delay, God showed what it looks like to push through and trust that He is still in control. Living in fear accomplishes nothing, but division amongst one another. So what would it look like to place our hope in something bigger than us? Realizing that fighting for a morality that has shaky ground is not dependable. But the ground Jesus offers us is as dependable as the morning sunrise. Steadfast and true. Even though life throws us curveballs, God is there to catch it for us if we allow Him to. Remember not to crumble on those difficult times, turn to Jesus. He is our very purpose in this life. And thank God He provides hope for the lost.
After learning to persevere, God revealed that 2021 would bring the word Fight.
I’ll be honest, that word scared me. I had no idea what it was going to bring. But like each year prior, I learned what it looks like when I allow God to show me what he wants the word to mean. I thought I was going to have to fight for something, when God wanted to teach me that He will fight my battles. That doesn’t mean to sit back and expect Him to make my life perfect while I twiddle my thumbs. Rather, what it means is that all the anxiety and control we love to bring into our daily lives in unnecessary. We will make decisions, and as long as we’re holding our hands open to allow God to steer us, we don’t have to worry. God will fight for us because He loves us.
2022 was the year to Flourish.
It was refreshing after a rough couple of years, learning lesson after lesson. This year was not without its lessons, but wow did God bless me in ways I couldn’t even imagine. He brought friendships that have enriched my life, nudged me into new projects that I never ever ever would have thought I’d be involved in, and showed me what true community looks like.
This year? Dependence.
2023 is going to be a fun year. I can tell because I’ve always prided myself on being independent. Don’t get me wrong, a certain level of independence is crucial. However, when it becomes part of your identity? That’s when it’s time to start chipping away at it. I want to learn to become fully dependent on God. I have a crazy dream of opening a bookstore/cafe/bar. It seems impossible since I have no means of making it happen. Will it ever happen? Maybe. Maybe not. But I’m not going to depend on myself to make it happen. And what does it look like exactly to depend on myself? Stress over everything I can’t do and by doing that achieve absolutely nothing. So it’s time to lay down my pride and admit that I need help. I can’t do everything on my own as much as I’d like to. Can anyone relate to that? I’d love to dream big this year, try and fail, and know that God is paving the way.
So come on this journey with me.
I’m going to do my best to jump on here and document what God is teaching me. Where he’s taking me and what he wants all of us to learn together. Because community is where love thrives. That’s where God wants us since God is love. Let’s learn from each other, learn to become dependent on one another through God’s love. I truly think that can be a beautiful thing.
These posts will be messy since I’m not going to do a ton of editing. I’m not striving for perfection this year, I’m striving for raw honesty. So are you ready? I’m excited to see where God leads!
