This Word for the Year Could Change Your Life Forever

Prickly pine needles rise from the carpeting like tiny daggers aimed at stocking feet. I should hoist the vacuum cleaner from the basement and take care of it, but this mounting pressure to pick a word for the year has me glued to the recliner like a woman with a deadline.

Last year’s word came effortlessly.

Had it not, I might have forsaken the idea altogether.

It was a mind-boggling year.

I read an article on picking a word of the year last winter, and while I’d picked a Bible verse and name of God for the New Year many times, I’d never picked just one word. Last year on the couch, I didn’t have to pray about it, deliberate over it, or find a commentary to lead me to it.

When the Word Comes Floating Down

Last year, my word came clearly: Hope.

With that one word, the words of Hebrews 6:19 flashed through my mind. On that day, I claimed them for myself, my family, my unborn child, and my temporary suffering: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.”

Some commentators note that in the original language, the word for hope denotes a sense of expectation with pleasure.

And when things get tough, don’t we all need more than just a sense of expectation?

Couldn’t we all use a little more expectation with pleasure?

Hope is not merely a destination at the end of a long road. Hope is a Savior who walks the road with me. #hope #Jesus #WordfortheYear Share on X

When You Don’t Know What Lies Ahead

A year later, I can say that I have encountered Jesus as my Hope in transforming ways. I also have no worldly clue about what might make a good word for the next year.

Thoughtful posts from friends seem so much more spiritual as they select their well-thought-out words. I compare myself and come up short.  It’s hard to predict what this next year might hold.

Maybe you can relate.

Perhaps the idea of picking a word or a verse feels overwhelming. Maybe you’re like me: For a decade, you picked your phrase, just so you could say you had one, and the only times it ever crossed your mind that year were the times when other people talked about their phrases.

If you find yourself among the wordless warriors this New Year, don’t lose heart. Instead, let’s look at these words:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:1-3).

Choose This One Word for the Year

What if we made Jesus our one word?

After all, he is the Word.

When troubles arise this year, we might remember to quickly lift our eyes to Jesus, our One Word.

When we are grateful, we might lift our eyes to our One Word.

On the darkest days, we might lift our eyes to our One Word.

When despair threatens to destroy us, we might lift our eyes to our One Word.

Your Word for the Year Really Might Change You

I wonder if, by doing this, our One Word might become the true anchor for our souls. Perhaps we’d stop turning to chocolate or Netflix or shopping for comfort.

This just might be the One Word that changes everything.

If you are stuck on a word or a name or a verse this year, will you join me in whispering this One Word today: Jesus.

Let’s utter this Word ten thousand times this year and see if he does not change us.

A Free Devotional Book for You:

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Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!

As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God.  Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision.  They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.

God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13.  Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world.  Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God.  Find this life-changing devotional book here.

Devotionals for Girls

Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion.  I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven.  Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20.  It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing.  This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start.  Bekah and I will help you right here.

All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon.  They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial!  These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them.  Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.

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