Christmas is busy because it’s Christmas, but it’s also busy because around October I start thinking about starting a new year. For the last few months of the year I have high hopes of launching the new year strong. I think about what worked well the previous year, and what didn’t. And I try to land on one word to focus on in the year to come.
Category: One Word 365
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Why My One Word 2017 Irritates Me and Why I Chose It
,The word “love” irritates me. I know that’s not the good, Christian girl thing to say, but I’m just being honest. And yet, it’s the word I chose for my One Word 2017.
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What is Your #OneWord365 for 2014?
A few days ago I was driving in my car listening to the radio. The DJ came on in-between songs and said something like, “Have you heard of choosing one word for your year instead of setting New Year’s resolutions?” It was crazy to me that a movement, I thought started in the blogging world a few years ago, is now on nationally syndicated radio.
By now you’ve probably heard of #OneWord365 – where you choose one word or one theme for your upcoming year. Maybe it’s something you need to learn or something you want to become or how you want to grow. (more…)
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The Post Where I Quit {I Mean Surrender}
I have a problem. I want to do it all. When New Year’s Day approached, and I saw all the wonderful studies and groups and challenges other bloggers were hosting, I wanted to be a part of them too. And in this post I listed all of my
challengesresolutions for the year in hopes of doing it all. Sure, I hid them as challenges to not sound so cliché to have resolutions, but that’s exactly what they were – resolutions.The day after “New Year, New Challenges” posted I remembered that I have a two month old baby. My first two month old baby.
And I remembered that we live far away from family and friends, so there’s not a whole lot of help around here.
And I remembered that my carpet hasn’t been vacuumed in a month. And I barely take a shower everyday. And I’m surviving on only a handful of hours a sleep a night.
And I remembered my One Word (which I have yet to announce to you because blogging has taken a backseat this week) is Surrender.
This year, after my year of Focus in 2012, I am going to Surrender.
So today, only ten days into the new year, I quit my challenges. Or let’s say I surrender them. Because I can’t do it all.
Surrendering anything in my life is hard for me. I like to hold on tight because I think it’s my job to do it all, make it all right, fix myself and my surroundings. This is where I try to get my worth.
I am starting with surrendering my belief that I can do it all or that I have to do it all in order to be worthy.
This is a lie from the enemy and one that I want demolished as a stronghold in my mind. My worth is not dependent on how many books I read this year or whether I only eat whole foods or even if I read the entire Bible or memorize 24 verses.
My worth hangs on the Cross. The Cross that Jesus endured. That’s how worthy I am.
And I surrender any thoughts that tell me otherwise.
Do you have a One Word for 2013? Please share with us in the comments!
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Focus :: A One Word Revelation
It’s that time again! Five-Minute-Friday with Lisa-Jo where we write for five minutes – no edits, no revisions, only pure thoughts streaming for five minutes! Thank you for joining me here today!
Back in January I joined the “One Word” movement that swept over Twitter and blog-world. It may be a movement that has been around for years, but for me it was new, and I enthusiastically jumped aboard.
I don’t even remember the original One Word I chose and then changed only a few days into the new year. But now, eight months in, I see clearly why God told me that word just wouldn’t fit this time. Maybe next year, but this year my One Word was supposed to be Focus.
Button made by my talented friend, Melanie, at Elegant Custom Blogs! And from that moment on the word Focus came to me time and time again through sermons, Bible passages, conversations, motivational talks, and even through Five Minute Friday.
When I hear God so clearly I get all “Wow, He really does talk to me!” inside and then realize how deep my unbelief. He has definitely shown that His goal for me this year was to do just what He said all those months ago: Focus.
I expected Him to show me how to Focus my time, my energy, my passions, and my purpose so that I would be intentional for Him, striving not after my self but after His plan for me.
What I didn’t expect was Focus into the deep parts of my soul that need to be dealt with before He can use any of the above fully.
He has Focused my eyes on negativity that has invaded the deepest parts of my being for a while now. Then there is the pride and the anger, too.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 139:23-24:
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
This year Focus led me down a way everlasting.
What is something that you need to Focus on more in your life?
And did you hear? 31 Days of Peace-Filled Singleness is now an eBook being released in October! Sign up for email updates so that you don’t miss any of the details including a chapter overview and a free chapter you can download!
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What It Takes to Make Your #OneWord365 Stick
There’s a community on Twitter that I’m just joining this year. It was probably around last year, but this year is my year to join.
The #oneword365 community. One Word. One Year. One Theme.
Deciding on my One Word wasn’t difficult. I quickly thought of a word that I wanted my life to represent in 2012. And it was good. Maybe a little cliché, but definitely solid and admirable and something I need more of.
On New Year’s Day I woke up early which is nothing new for me. I’m an early bird more than a night owl any day of the week. I poured coffee into the five-inch, wide-mouthed mug and sat down with my new 365 day Bible in my lap and my prayer journal on top.
As I began to read and pray and study, the #oneword365 that I had chosen seemed exactly what I thought about it days earlier – a little cliché. As I sat and listened a little longer a new word came to my mind.
And so my second #oneword365 for 2012 was born. I accepted this as the word God had given me.
When John woke up I excitedly told him about my second one word for the year. He already knew about the first one. He just looked at me with a look that had words painted right onto his face: “We’re not even seven hours into the new year and you’ve already changed your one word? And you changed it to that?” And honestly, it was a little ironic.
Sitting in church two hours later the pastor said, “Today we’re going to talk about Focus!”
John and my eyes darted to each other.
Focus. My #oneword365!
What It Takes to Make Your #OneWord365 Stick:
1. Direction from God in choosing it.
2. Wisdom on how to incorporate it into your life.
3. Discipline to keep it in the forefront of your mind.
What is your #OneWord365? How did you choose it?
