With it being the first week of 2015, my guess is you’ve either thought about making some resolutions for this new year, have already made some, or given up on the idea altogether. If you have made some goals, things like eating healthier, learning something new, being more thankful, or running a marathon might be at the top of your list. I have yet to set goals for myself this year, but similar ones have made mine in the past.
Besides making a list of things I want to accomplish though, I do something else as well. It’s called the One Word Challenge. For the challenge, you pray about what God has for you in this New Year and what you should be focused on growing in throughout the year.
You pray about it, and ask the Lord to give you a single word to represent your year. Something you can focus on and pray about.
I started doing the challenge in 2012 and the word I chose was courage. Throughout the year, there were definitely situations that tested and grew my courage. Sometime around March, I started feeling like I should lead a summer mission’s trip. Not sure if I was qualified to do so or would make a good leader, I wasn’t sure if I should really do it. And then later in the year, as I started fall semester, I really wanted to get involved with a Bible study at my school. But the first few times I went were awkward and it already seemed to be such a tight-knit group of girls. In both situations, my initial response was to make excuses, but as I remembered the word I had chosen, I knew I needed to have courage. So I took my word to heart, and both applied to lead and kept going back to the Bible Study. I am so glad I did, because I had an amazing experience leading and slowly but surely I built incredible friendships at the Bible Study.
This year, as I’ve been thinking of what’s to come, I think my word is REST. I read a devotional in Jesus Calling the other day and it lead me to scriptures about being at rest in God, something I know I’m going to need as I’ll be traveling a lot in the next 11 months. I have a feeling some days could get a bit hectic on the World Race and with so much unknown ahead of me, it’s comforting to know I can be at rest in Christ no matter where I am.
One of the things I love most about picking a word for the year is how much God teaches me through it. Each year that I’ve done this, the idea or word I pick seems to mean one thing at the beginning of the year, but by the end takes on a whole different and deeper meaning. Whatever my word is, God always shows me His faithfulness through it and helps me grow in that area.
I hope you can find some time to pray about a word for your year. If not a single word, maybe an idea or verse. It’s helped me stay focused on God and what he has for me the past three years and has honestly been more meaningful than making New Year’s resolutions that I usually forget about by summer.
