Can One Word Really Change Your Life?

I have always had a love/hate relationship with the start of a New Year. On one hand, I see it as a fresh opportunity, stretching out before me like a pristine beach at sunrise. Untouched, unspoiled, full of promise.

Then there’s the other side of that coin: Looking back at the old year with regret and seeing the missed opportunities and failures. The "could haves" and the "should haves."

A few years ago, our family started a tradition at the start of the New Year. It didn’t involve the typical New Year’s Day fare of corned beef, black-eyed peas or cabbage (thank goodness!) or the writing of resolutions. But it did involve food for the soul.

This tradition has quickly become one of my favorites – choosing a word that we want to characterize our new year.

So on New Year’s Day, we all gather at the table and write our words with a corresponding Scripture verse on index cards. And we take turns sharing our words with each other and describing our vision for using the word in the year ahead.

It seems simple. But each year, this little tradition has had a profound impact on our family. Each year, we come back together and share stories about our word from the previous year, and how God used that one little word in our lives.

In the past, my words have included character traits (gentleness), things I want to become (captivated - click on the link for an explanation) and spiritual disciplines on which I’d like to focus (prayer). This year, I thought I had chosen my word, but then something changed. I read a  Scripture on the morning of New Year’s Eve, and it was like God saying, “This is it.”

You show that you are a letter from Christ… written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

I knew after reading this Scripture that my word for 2014 would be WRITE. Of course, the word has dual meaning, because I’m a writer and have set certain goals for my writing. But the other meaning is far more significant to me: This year I intend to open an empty page and invite God to write His story with my life. I want to show others that I’m a letter from Christ. I desire for my life to be an instrument in the hand of God so He can etch out His words on tablet of my heart.

Father, You are the Author of me, and Your grace and eloquence are abundant in my life. Write your words through me. Help my life to communicate Your love, Your peace, Your joy, Your truth. You are the Word. Without You, I have no words. Speak through me, Father, and make me Your letter.

Have you chosen your word for 2014? If not, it’s not too late! Start now, pray for guidance, choose one word and see how God will transform your life!

One Little Word = Big Impact!

Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page... Take no interest in the things that were and are past.  ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Last year, we started a new tradition at our house in honor of the New Year. Instead of making resolutions, we each chose a word to focus on during the year. 

This year as we gathered at the table on New Year's Day, I realized that this tradition had quickly become one of my favorites. I handed each member of our family an index card, and we all bent into our cards, writing our soon-to-be-revealed word and a scripture to accompany it.

Then, one by one, we revealed our words. It's a vulnerable moment, sort of like baring your soul and trusting that those hearing your word will "get it" and be supportive. Because that's what family does.

And that's exactly what happened.

Some of the words were simple and others were a bit more complicated and needed some explanation. We all sat and listened and supported one another as we each shared our thoughts about our word.

Did I mention this is one of my favorite traditions? Maybe, just maybe, it IS my favorite.

My word for the year is a simple one, yet so very profound: PRAY.

To me, this is the word that helps me make sense of life. But I don't pray nearly as much as I should. But this year, God willing, I intend to become a woman of prayer!

Dwight L. Moody once said, "Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure." If I'm craving to see God at work in my life and the lives of those I love, this is where it starts... with a fervent focus on prayer.

When I was a little girl, my mother used to sing me a little chorus, and the truths of these simple words have stuck with me all these years:

Why worry when you can pray?

Trust Jesus, He'll be your stay.

Don't be a doubting Thomas,

Rest fully on His promise, 

Why worry, worry, worry, worry

When you can pray?

Can one little word really change a life? I'm willing to find out! Are you? There's still time to choose your word!

One Little Word...

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Like most of you, I've made my share of New Year's resolutions over the years -- some out of guilt, some out of necessity, some out of sheer stupidity.  They all had one thing in common... they were broken within a month or two, if not a day or two.

Keeping this dilemma in mind, I started a new tradition last year by choosing one word that I wanted to live out in the New Year. One word to remind me of how I needed to change. One word to prick my conscience. One word to inspire me. This year, our entire family from the youngest (age 11) to the oldest (uh-hum, that would be me) decided to choose a word and a scripture verse to accompany it.

As we sat around our kitchen table on New Year's Eve, we each presented our word and verse to the family and put it into a box that will remain visible during the year. Each week, we're going to try to look up another scripture to illustrate our word and maybe even memorize it. My wise husband gave one rule to the family about "the words": We cannot use another person's word as ammunition against him or her. For example, if someone's word is "patient" and they're having an impatient moment, another family member cannot chide the poor impatient soul with "I thought your word for this year was patience!" We all agreed this was a good rule.

My word for this year? Captivated. To be attracted or enthralled by a person or thing's beauty or excellence. At first glance, it may seem like a strange word. But let me explain... Our pastor has been preaching through the book of Colossians for a few months now, and I've been particularly impacted by chapter 3. The first few verses kept speaking to me about being captivated by Christ:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

Meditating on these verses and chapter 3 as a whole got me thinking about how different my life would be if I were truly captivated by Christ and all that He is. If I am captivated by Christ, I will be captivated by heavenly things, not by things here on earth. My priorities will completely change. My needs will become last on the list. I will consider others better than myself. I will love as I ought to love, have a compassionate heart, be kind, show humility and meekness, and be patient (Col. 3:12).

Being captivated by Christ truly changes everything.

One little word. So much meaning.

Lord, I want to be captivated by You and all that You are. You are the most beautiful, excellent, enthralling, captivating person who ever lived -- and died -- for me. Help me to be held and changed by your beauty in 2012.