Receiving God's WORD for my Year

Here we are again, friends. Another year has past, and for many it’s a time for the infamous “New Year’s Resolutions.” But several years ago I turned away from that initially hopeful, but later, dreaded “setting yourself up for failure,” tradition to a new thing altogether.

So resolutions are no temptation to me anymore. I’ve given up trying to change myself by my own self-effort. The indwelling Christ is my “Game-changer” and my “Life-changer.” And a few years ago, He brought a lovely “new thing” to my attention … the idea of a word for my year.

So I started a new journey out of resolutions into receiving — out of the self-effort-laden “to do list” into the revelation-unfolding-transforming Word for my year.

Initially, when I began trying to devise my word, I thought it would be exactly what I needed for the year ahead. But the word I chose never took hold until 2016, when I stepped aside and allowed the Lord to “give” it to me, rather than try to come up with one on my own.

So each year my word just seems to “find me.” Every year, it has appropriately come in the midst of my “all too real-life” circumstances. By the end of each year, there it would be, my word for my next year. And can I just say, it was right every time.

Here is my list from years past*:

2016 was “unfolding fullness”
2017 was “daily bread”
2018 was ‘rest”
2019 was “wait on Me”
2020 was “write”
2021 was “write and submit”
2022 was “Simplicity”
2023 was “Friend”
2024 was “Himself”
*for more detail, click Here and scroll down to see more background for each year.

Surprisingly my “word of the year” from 2022 grabbed me halfway through this year … the SIMPLICITY that is IN CHRIST.

I think all of the upheaval going on in our world, our country, and many of those whom I have considered “my people’ has made me long for the true Simplicity that is in my beautiful Lord Christ Himself, my King and my Friend and my Daily Bread and my Fullness of Joy and my Sabbath Rest.

So I am embracing this beautiful word again for 2025 and this beautiful Scripture:

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV

What about you, my friend? What is going on in your life right now? Is your attention being drawn to a particular scripture? Does a word keep coming to you? Ask the Lord about it. Maybe that’s the Word HE is giving you for the year ahead. He IS the Word, you know!

And as always, I would love to hear what you discern. Consider leaving a message below.

And why not join me as I dance with my Friend and yours into the new year:

And YES, 2023 saw the publication of our manuscript — ordering details below:

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