2022: The Year to T H R I V E !

Happy New Year!

About a month ago, I knew what my 2022 word for the year would be:

"How do you plan to do that?" you may ask. "We're still in a pandemic. What is there to THRIVE about or in?"

Well, there's plenty! We can THRIVE physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, psychologically, and more! We don't have to be a "living victim" of Covid-19... We can choose to not just survive, but to live and THRIVE!

2019: The Year of Hope!

Happy New Year!

I'll keep this post short and sweet. My 2019 word of the year is...

Last night (New Year's Eve 2018), these verses from Lamentations 3:21-26 kept coming to mind. May they encourage you and bring you hope too!

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

May God bless you richly and fill you with hope this year!

2018: The Year of Redemption!

Can you believe another year is here already? Wow! Where does the time go?

In past years it's been pretty clear what my word for the year is or would be. This year I don't have the clarity that I've had in past years; it's more like a sense of a word. So, I guess I have to trust that my word will make sense as the year unfolds.

My word of the year for 2018 is...

Years ago, I read a book called Redemption by Karen Kingsbury. I remember the concept of redemption really struck me. It's not something I had given a lot of thought to before, and maybe I thought it was something I didn't even need. The truth is we all need redemption and there are parts of each of our lives that need redeeming. Maybe that's what this year will be about. We'll see...

2017: The Year of Restoration!

Happy New Year! A new year means a new word! My word for 2017 is...

As usual, I'm not sure how this word will play out in my life over the coming year, so we'll just have to wait and see.

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary describes "restoration" as follows:
1) the return of something to a former or original state, and
2) the act of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition; restitution.

Hmm... What will 2017 hold for me?

2016: The Year of Adventure!

Ooh... I am looking forward to this! A year of ADVENTURE - what a great theme word for my year!

Melinda's 40th birthday trip coming up (stayed tuned for more on that!), but I wonder what else will be an adventure this year? The traveler in me is hoping for trips near and far, but adventure encompasses SO much more than travel. Let's see what happens in 2016!

2015 Vision Board

I've been thinking I should share a little something with you. Back in January I made up my first [what I'll call a] vision board. On it I included my verse for the year, some things I wanted to do, and a few things I was hoping might happen.

Truth be told, a lot of the things on my vision board aren't happening, or aren't happening the way I thought they would. But just like my '40 Things & More' list, if I didn't have it, I most certainly wouldn't be accomplishing much of anything. :)

2015: The Year of Delight!

It's a new year and it's time for a new word - my theme for the year 2015 is delight!

Having grown up in a Christian home, a verse that always comes to mind when I hear the word delight is Psalm 37:4 which says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart" - and I believe this will be my verse to focus on this year.

As I look ahead to the coming weeks and months, I have a picture of what I think delight will mean to me - travel, fun, enjoyment, little to no stress, less pressure... But this is just my view. God sees all, knows all and is in all, and I've noticed that most of the time He does things quite differently than how I would.

Just like my year of joy was full of enjoyment and my year of perseverance was full of pushing through to grasp what was ahead, I look forward to seeing, watching and delighting in this coming year. Stay tuned for delightful updates the whole year through!

2014: The Year of Perseverance!

With the changing of calendars comes a change in focus for me in this new year - from joy in 2013 to perseverance in 2014.

Perseverance can be described as 'steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.' Synonyms of perseverance include persistence, tenacity, determination, staying power, steadfastness, purposefulness; patience, endurance, application, diligence, dedication, commitment, doggedness, tirelessness, stamina.

There are several verses in the Bible that mention perseverance, but the one that stands out to me the most is Romans 5:3-5:

"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."~ New King James Version (NKJV)

I'm mostly focusing on the fact that perseverance produces character and character produces hope, but here are a couple of other versions to compare with. I find it interesting that joy is a necessary ingredient on the path to perseverance. I think I may just need it!

"There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!" ~ The Message (MSG)

"Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us." ~ Amplified Bible (AMP)

It will be interesting to see what lessons I'll learn and how this year of perseverance will affect me and my future. Stay tuned...

2013: The Year of Joy!

Happy New Year!

I came across the following on Facebook last week...

Been pondering and praying about my ONE WORD for 2013.

Last year, my word was EXPECTANCY... I kept a journal of Scripture, quotes and graphics that the Lord showed me throughout the year.

Are you choosing ONE WORD or ONE VERSE this year? Want to share?

This post piqued my curiosity as I've prayed/thought about a word or verse before, but once chosen it's always been left at that. I was delighted with the idea of seeking out whatever word/verse I got throughout the year - in words, in graphics, in whatever! I'm in, and my word for 2013 is JOY!

I was challenged via email by a friend on my birthday to read the book of Philippians in the Bible in one sitting and be ministered to by it. Over a month has gone by, but it was the first thing I did this morning - reading the 'book of joy' to begin this new year of joy off right. Several things jumped out at me as I read this short book:

1. Paul was imprisoned when he wrote his letter.
2. He wasn't focused on himself, but on others.
3. Paul challenges us to 'do everything without complaining or arguing'.
4. His goal: 'Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.'
5. Paul's charge to us: 'Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice!'

These items made me realize that although our lives (or certain times in them) may be difficult, none of those difficulties need to define us. We can choose joy! I take that as a personal challenge this year. What about you?