Many of us mark the dawn of a new year by choosing a word to set the theme for the coming 12 months. I’ve done so for the past several years, and some of our authors have already shared theirs on this blog.
This year, my word is “STEADFAST,” and its sister-word, “STEADY.”
What then? Once a word has found you—for a truly believe the word chooses you as much as you choose the word—what do you do? I’ll share what I do, and hope you’ll share what you do.
First, since I believe God sends me the right word for the year, I ask Him to bless my exploration of it. I pray for eyes to see the lessons it has to teach me, and to see the many places it inevitably shows up in my life once it is chosen.
As a woman of faith, the Bible is my first discovery ground. Steadfast shows up in scores of verses. Here are a few of my favorites:
Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God (emphasis mine)
They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
A dive into the dictionary brought me lots of motivating synonyms:
- resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering
- even and continuous in development
- moving without deviation from course
And the insightful fact that “steady” is also a verb and an exclamation.
Then I always wander through Pinterest, building a board from the images I collect there. This often unearths new quotes, pictures, and sometimes even products. For example, did you know what there are artisans who will make you jewelry with your word for the year? Or that there is a beloved fairy tale called The Steadfast Tin Soldier?
I wasn’t surprised to discover that the heroine for my upcoming July book, Wander Canyon Courtship, finds the hero particularly steadfast. I always think our creative selves know things before our conscious minds do.
What will make this a “steadfast” year? I don’t yet know. But I’m excited to find out.
Have you chosen a word for 2019? Do you do any of these explorations or have some new ones to suggest?
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I've chosen a word for the year since 2009, and my 2019 word is More. I love the idea of creating a Pinterest board to reflect that word. I like to choose Bible studies that help me focus on my word. I'm almost done with one on the YouVersion Bible app called There is More by Brian Houston, the founder of Hillsong Church.
ReplyDeleteMy word for 2019 is Treasure...as in Find Your Treasure Each Day! My word keeps me focused on my daily blessings and the many treasures the Lord has brought into my life...loved ones, friends, extended family, writing joys...
ReplyDeleteWishing you abundant treasures today and each day throughout 2019!
This year my word is Joy! It was a word that just wouldn't leave my mind at the end of 2018. One book I was reading - One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp - introduced to me the idea that Thankfulness is one of the roots of joy. So this year I have a gratitude/thankfulness journal going and I have included at least one thing every day so far this year. Some things in it might seem trivial, but they are things that I am thankful for and mostly bring me joy. Every time I find a verse in the Bible that has the words joy or rejoice, I am making a note of it in my journal.
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