3 Ways to Find Your 2021 Word
“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.” Ezekiel 37:1
Have you heard of people selecting a “word of the year”? Perhaps you have always wanted to have your own word, but you have been intimidated by adding another commitment, something else to hold you in a box. Or you think it’s cheesy, unnecessary practice and will just get in the way of your REAL New Year’s Resolutions, like reading 107 books this year or running a {virtual} marathon. You might be someone like me who already embraces the idea and have your word picked out. No matter who you are, if you aim to live intentionally in 2021, there is something here for you.
Last Year. God blessed me with two words in 2020: Bandwidth and Boundaries (you can read more about them by clicking on the link). When I look back at how I thought this would play out versus how it actually did play out, I wonder what God was thinking. Oh, Child, you have no idea what’s coming. He let me spin my wheels in January. What I needed to embrace was the grace and space He was hinting to me. My role was not to do but to allow Him to manifest the word in my life.
“He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live'?’ I said, ‘Sovereign Lord, you alone know.’” Ezekiel 37:3
How do I find my word? Here are 3 simple ways to find your own word for 2021.
Look for Repetitive Messages. Do you catch yourself watching a YouTube video only to hear someone say exactly the same thing as another blog post you read yesterday? Or maybe the sermon this past Sunday at church resonates with internal wrestling you’ve been struggling with. Paying attention to these keywords or phrases can provide you insight into what your word might be.
Take just a moment to pause and think about what that recurring theme is…………………….
Go ahead…………………..
I’ll wait……………………….Grounded in a Core Principle. It’s great to have yearly goals driving you to better self-improvement. Remember the 107 books you’re going to read this year? Taking this example, one might say “Reading” is their word of the year. This is limiting because it is an action word intended to support a deeper core principle. Some examples might be Expansion, Enjoyment, or Mastery. Ideally, the core principle ties across all areas of your life, from work to family to self-care.
What is the big core principle associated with your resolution or theme? Stuck on a couple? Jot them down and pray over them for the next few days.Let the Word Go. Great. You have your word of the year picked out. Now what? Let the word go. Each year, God gives me a word. A simple glimpse as to how He will reveal Himself to me throughout the following 365 days. I look forward to the gentle nudging each December and prepare myself to receive what He has to offer. This allows me to be open to His direction and leading, to respond in obedience when he calls me and leaves me seeking communion with Him.
Does this idea of letting go scare you? Why or why not? Sit in this for a few moments.
“Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.’” Ezekiel 37:4-5
My Word: LIFE. For a recap of last year, check out this post, but if you’ve followed any of my year, you know it was intense, full of both personal grief and global grief. In December, we celebrated my grandpa turning 90. That’s 90 times around the sun, surviving the Great Depression, WWII, Vietnam, several economic recessions, and now 2020. Despite any hardships thrown his way, he has given freely legacy and joy throughout the years. It was a joy to celebrate his LIFE. Oh, how desperately I needed to celebrate LIFE! And that was it for me… after a year of grief, it was time to celebrate LIFE.
Those dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision? They rose up and lived again. They not only assembled, bone upon bone, ligaments, and tendons, but they had LIFE breathed into them. God has spoken LIFE this year to me, and, as the dry bones did, I will respond in obedience to embrace LIFE.
What is your word of the year? How does this leave you open to lean more deeply into God’s leading? Shoot me an email and let me know! I love to hear from you!
