Happy New Year…just a few days late. But it’s still January so I think I’m OK with the greeting.
I’ve never been good with entering the new year with a list of resolutions. One quick fail and I’m ready to call it quits. But a few years ago I read about choosing one word or phrase to focus the year on. Something about that resonated and I took the leap.
In Brave as a Girl Can Be I wrote about my phrase for 2015…Living Bravely…and then how God led me to stick with it one more year. I thought I knew what living bravely would or could look like. Boy was I wrong!
As I began planning for 2017 I also began asking God for direction and for that one word. Weeks went by and I still didn’t know. Continuing to pray I asked Him to show me where He wanted my focus to be. Added to that prayer was asking Him to help me pay attention. True confession: sometimes I can get distracted with my own stuff and I just didn’t want to miss it.
Well, He certainly made sure I didn’t miss it! Within days I received the following gifts.
First this one
And then this one
And let’s not forget this one
Not only did He show me visually what my word should be, but He also used some dear friends to direct my focus. Again within days of each other I heard this: “Deb, I wish you could see and believe in yourself what I do.”
I receive this invitation to believe. To believe more in Him – to learn how to believe in me – to grow deeper to believe in us. I hope you’ll join me on this journey. I’m excited in a tender kind of way to discover where BELIEVE will take me and us this year.
Do you have a word or phrase for 2017? I’d love to know what it is and why you chose it. Comment below and on Monday I’ll randomly choose a name to receive my favorite journal from Life Lived Beautifully.
Until next time…
Cherish- I tend to rush through my days with a full-time job, three kiddos, and a husband I love dearly but we are usually heading different directions. I forget to enjoy the little conversations, the hugs, the laughter. I also forget to cherish my time with Him. I’m hoping to regain my sense of thankfulness and peace by remembering to cherish my moments.
Persistence- my struggle is to give up on listening or reading the word. Persistence is my word to keep fighting through my natural instinct to lead my life not follow. Persistence to keep learning, reading and listening to God on what he wants.
The word I chose for this year is COMPLETE. I chose it for a couple of reasons. First, as a reminder that I am made complete in Him, no matter the circumstances. And secondly, I want to focus on completing things. I have a tendency to start projects and then start other projects before completing the first one. I have too many things half finished in my life.
I’d really like my word for 2017 to be NAP but I’m thinking that wasn’t quite what you had in mind. 🙂
My word is PROGRESS. I’d like to be able to look at areas of my life and recognize how far I’ve come and shift the focus to that – instead of what I still have left to do or perfection of the process…To not let setbacks derail me but to be able to use progress as an encouragement to keep going…To keep taking tiny steps forward each day, even when it’s hard. I feel like this applies to several areas of my life right now.
I don’t have a word for 2017 but I’m praying for a verse. Love your word, sweet Deb!
ACCEPTANCE…I was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Hard to get my head around but accepting where am I and allowing God to heal and enable me to go deeper with him at my side. We have an awesome healer and I embrace this time as healing.
I love this post so much friend. And well, you know my word. I am so grateful that we are believing together friend! I love you!
Gosh I love reading all these sweet words. My word is SPACE. As in create space for God, create space to breathe, create space to see the desktop in my office – lol, and create space to do the things that God is calling me to do. I believe in you, talented friend!
My 2017 words are Open Hands. The song pretty much says it all, but I’ll try to put why in my own words. I can have empty hands, but not open hands. My empty hands can be clinched shut, fearful of the next thing to be put in them. But open hands are letting go of the things that need to be let go of as well as open to receive whatever is next.