What's your Word for 2021?

At the end of each year, I begin praying about my word for the upcoming year. I pray that God will lay a word on my heart to guide my year, my focus, and my intentions. It’s my prayer that the word laid on my heart will be more about what God wants to do in me and through me, than simply what I want to accomplish.

Then each year, I enter January armed and ready with my word and what I think the year will hold. And yet, every year, there are lessons far beyond what I thought possible. God expands my word to mean so much more than I could comprehend at the beginning of each year. Some lessons are easy to grab hold of...others are harder to walk through. Yet, somehow the lessons of that year deepen the meaning of the word that was laid on my heart.

The first year I chose a word, the choice seemed easy: gratitude. It was an easy choice because 2017 was the year we transitioned from military life to civilian life. We took a gigantic leap of faith into the unknown in hopes that we would be able to move toward new career goals and a bigger vision for our family- one that meant putting down roots and being near family. That big leap was a HARD year and it taught us to be grateful for most of the things we normally take for granted…a home, food on the table, the steady support of family, a cup of coffee with a friend, and so much more. We had to learn to walk by faith, not by sight, and to lean into the journey even when we couldn’t see the destination. There are so many lessons that came out of that season and I’m sure I’ll share more about that as time goes on.

After a tumultuous year, 2018 felt a little more stable. My word for the year was joy. After a year like 2017, it was a bit easier to be joyful for, well, just about anything! I’m sure it will be similar to how some of us will experience 2021. After 2020, a year that has sucked most of the emotional energy out of everyone, 2021 will likely feel like a sigh of relief. We ended 2018 with a sweet little addition to our family, baby #2 - joy, for sure!

The transition from one child to two guided my word for 2019: peace. Peace didn’t describe the transition itself….it was a tad less than peaceful! It was chaotic. With a 5 year gap between baby #1 and #2, 2019 was about learning how to parent all over again. It was a practice in releasing what I could not control. It was having to pray for peace, find peace, and practice peace in so many capacities. I specifically remember searching for a Bible verse to accompany my word for the year, something that I could cling to in moments when it felt really challenging. I circled back to my favorite verse and one that has reigned over my life in so many seasons. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). And there it was…I kept reading. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). God’s lessons for my life that year were far beyond what I could have imagined. I believe God calls us nearer to Him in the moments when we are broken, stripped away from our own agenda, and invited to surrender to Him. That’s when the heart work takes place…when He can fill us back up.

At the end of that year, I prayed more intensely about what my word for 2020 should be. I prayed with an open heart, knowing that God had more work to do in me and through me than I could see for myself. Not knowing exactly what was in store for 2020, the word that was laid on my heart was brave. Filled with hope for an exciting year, brave seemed fitting as I stretched outside of my comfort zone. I was hopeful that being brave would fall in line with goals I had set for the year. I was running full speed ahead come February, ready to tackle business goals that had previously felt insurmountable. And then…the screeching halt. That nasty C word that took over the world. Turns out God had a lot more to teach me about being brave than I bargained for! If you missed my first blog post, I referred to some different experiences of 2020.

“I imagine for some, 2020 was filled with a few mountain top moments. You know the kind - the moment when everything you’ve been working toward suddenly comes together. Or, maybe this year was filled with surprising mountain top moments - unexpected blessings you didn’t see coming.

Or perhaps instead 2020 felt like you were on the mountain, in the middle of your climb, and you lost your footing. You fell, hit every rock on the way down, and are now in the valley wandering around trying to find your shoes.”

That was me….feeling like I was wandering in the valley trying to find my shoes. I felt like I was gathering all the contents of my bag from the ground…trying to get a read on my compass to figure out which way I was facing. This year wasn’t the hardest year we have ever experienced, but it definitely knocked me off my feet and left me a bit bewildered.

The call to exercise bravery this year meant laying the cards on the table, being more vulnerable to myself, to others around me, and ultimately in the creation of this site. I decided that I didn’t want to live life on the sidelines. I wanted to get in the game and play full out. I want to show up, love more, and serve more. No holding back.

Have you thought or prayed about your word for 2021? I’d love to know what you choose. (Leave your word in the comments so we can pray over your word for you as a community.)

Curious about my word for 2021? Stay tuned! I can’t wait to share it with you soon!

PS: If this is your first time choosing a word for the year, you might enjoy this Free 7 Day Challenge (click here) and I also suggest the book “One Word that will change your life” by Jon Gordon. Let me know what you think!

Make today a beautiful day,