Celebrating the seventh day of Christmas: Looking back and looking ahead with #myoneword

We have reached the final day of 2018. Many people will be grateful to leave behind this year with its acrimony, fear, tragedy, disappointment, and divisiveness. May we find greater unity and joy in 2019.

In the middle of this Christmas season of celebration, and battling a head cold, I lost track of the days and realized with a jolt that today was New Year’s Eve – and the end of 2018. In my blocked-up state I’ve been pondering a bit about my word for 2019 (#myoneword).

Some years ago I joined this movement that embraces a word for the year instead of making a lot of resolutions that are forgotten after a few weeks. Keeping one word before us – through a visual representation or a reminder on our phone – can help us to stay focused on a word that helps us to live as we wish with God. I usually choose a verse from Scripture to accompany the word as well.

I’ve blogged about #myoneword previously – you can find all of the posts here. One post that might be helpful is how to hear God on your word for the year. My review of the book that started it all off, My One Word, is here.

The first year I tried out this practice I chose flourish, with Isaiah 55:10–11 as the verses:

 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

I loved the idea of this word and all of its richness, but for many months forgot about the practice. But in the late spring I remembered it, and printed out some reminders of the word to keep it before me. As I was more intentional about praying about how with God I could flourish, I started to get excited about the possibilities. I saw the word as a promise from God – one that I could forget and ignore, or one that I could embrace as I joined my hands in his.

Other words have been train, with the accompanying verse 2 Timothy 3:16 (about Scripture being God-breathed and useful for training in righteousness); breathe, which spoke to me about rest and breathing in the Spirit of God; present, with the lovely meanings of God’s presence, receiving the present of God’s presence, and the need for me to stay present and in the moment; and in 2018, replenish, with the emphasis on resting and rejuvenating after a very busy couple of years.

As I mentioned above, I haven’t yet discerned what my word will be for 2019. I need to set aside some time to think and pray about this – including going for a walk, which I find is a wonderful way to ponder and pray and enjoy creation.  

How about you? Do you choose a word for the year? If so, how has the practice helped you? Do you have a word for 2019?