The One Word phenomena can seem so trendy but don’t let that keep you from picking a guiding word for the year.
We all want to believe in something bigger than ourselves. And choosing an inspirational and empowering word seems to give us the essence of propelling us to something bigger than ourselves. But perhaps this is why I can’t help but see the correlation of how selecting a word becomes more than just a word to inspire us. It is a word that moves beyond skin deep.” ~Rachel Swanson
Last year, my One Word was “Discover”. Not to discover something new but to discover what I already have within me, around me, in my children, my husband and my faith. So I set out to do just that in January of 2016 and I will continue to walk this journey into the year 2017, as I still have much work in this area. This word challenged me and guided me through out the year, especially in those moments when I wanted to give up as I discovered things that were hard to handle. This word challenged me as I set out to complain about my life, spouse and children and then “discover” popped into my head. This word challenged me to dig deeper into prayer and God’s word for truth. I so often seek another good book, another bible study, another… but this past year especially in the fall I started diving into discovering His word. My friends there were so many days I was in awe with the richness and wisdom found in the Bible.
This one word changed the course of my year not because it had magical powers but simply because it was inspirational and empowering helping me to stay on course.
Reminding me to discover more of His unfailing grace!
It reminded me that I live on crumbs of prayer and it brought me to my knees to discover the depths of peace that can be found in communicating with our heavenly Father.
How I picked my One Word for 2017
Around mid December I woke up in the middle of the night and the first thought that came to my mind was–I know what my one word will be this coming year! Ha, it wasn’t even something that I had been thinking about but there it was–clearly spelled out.
My One Word for this new year is–build.
We are entering a season of starting over and building, rebuilding and making our foundation stronger. So I believe this word is fitting for the journey ahead of us.
We’re only 22 days into the year and I’ve already been reminded countless times, “Build on what God has already given you.”
It’s not too late to pick a guiding word! Even if it’s mid year, I still highly recommend you take a moment to do it. Think about your life and what you want to set out to do for the remainder of 2017. Jot down a few things and then pick a theme that you see woven throughout each of those items you jotted down. Pray for guidance but know that we can make plans but it is He who directs our steps.