Happy New Year! I can’t believe it is 2020. I always love starting a new year. It feels like a clean slate, a blank page, a fresh start. I believe this is a great opportunity to make changes in our lives and paint a beautiful future for ourselves.
Many people like making New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions can be a great tool to help us make lasting changes. Unfortunately, though, many resolutions fizzle out before we reach February. Sometimes this is due to the fact that we are trying to make too many big changes all at once. I think many people can stick with smaller changes for longer periods of time. So, this might be something you might want to consider when you pick your resolutions.
Or there is another route you can take altogether. And that is picking one word to be your theme for the year. Many people pick one word which pertains to something they would like to focus on for the year. And they keep this word in the forefront of their mind each and every day. This adjustment in our focus can produce lasting changes in our lives. Some example words are: Peace, Strength, Healing, Brave, Love, Jesus, etc.
Picking a word for the year is something I have enjoyed doing myself many times. And I can tell you that it does help catapult change. Last year I chose the word “seek” because I wanted to seek God more. And focusing on this word helped me to do just that. Keeping the word “seek” in mind every day helped me to deepen my relationship with the Lord. It helped me to spend more time reading my Bible, in prayer, and listening for His voice. It also helped me to make better choices in my life. For example, at times I found that instead of reaching for my phone to get on social media, I would instead reach for Him.
I can tell you from my own experience that choosing a word for the year really does help us grow. In fact, this might sound crazy, but I was actually sad to say goodbye to the word “seek.” That’s how big of an impact it made on me in 2019.
Needless to say, this year I am choosing to pick a word once again. My word for 2020 is “grace.” Why did I choose the word “grace?” Well there are many things I would like to change this year. And I felt that the word “grace” was an all-encompassing way to tackle some of those things. For starters, I would like to gain a deeper understanding of the grace of God. I know that Christians have been saved by grace, but I am not so sure that I always feel that grace deep inside. I want to grab hold of this grace and allow it to make me stronger in my walk with the Lord.
I also chose the word “grace” because I feel this will be a reminder to myself to extend grace towards others. Since God has given each of us so much grace, isn’t only fair that we extend grace to those around us as well?
Also, I hope to extend more grace towards myself. Many of you can relate when I say that I am my own worst critic. I am quick to put myself down and point out my own flaws. It is good to want to change, if that change is in the will of God. However, I don’t think God wants us to berate ourselves. That kind of thinking comes from the enemy.
So, I would like to encourage you to think of one word that you would like to focus on this year. Take some time today to sit quietly with God and ask Him if there is a word that He has in mind for you. Once you come up with a word, you can make sticky notes with the word on it, and put them where you will see them each day. Some great places might be your bathroom mirror, your computer screen, your coffee pot, your steering wheel, etc. I would love to hear from you, so please share in the comments what word you picked for this year!
© 2020 Bridget A. Thomas
Christians Read 
Love the idea, Bridget, and love the word you chose. My word is HOPE. I chose hope bechause there are several areas in my life that need and deserve change. But to make it happen I need HOPE. Hope to me is a heart and mind word. My heart holds on to hope each day waiting to see if there is change when the next page of my life is revealed but my mind has to focus on the hope that what I do or don’t do in a day can help produce the changes I long for. So hope is my 2020 word.
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Thank you so much for sharing! I love hearing the words that other people have chosen. Hope is a lovely word. And I love the reasons as to why you picked that word. Beautifully said. I pray that this word helps pave a wonderful path for you in 2020. 💚
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I chose Hope as well! 😊
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I love that! Hope is a word I had considered because no matter what, we always have hope in Jesus. I pray that the word “hope” is good to you this year. Thanks so much for sharing! 🤗
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I love your idea, Bridget. Mel and I decided on a shooting phrase we heard the other day. It’s called “Don’t milk the grip.” In other words, focus only on the trigger, where you’re pointing, and not on squeezing unnecessarily hard on the grip. Other words for that, to me, are, “The main thing is to make the main thing the main thing.” So, I guess our single word for the year would be focus. Yes, that’s it! Yay! Thanks for helping me figure it out, Bridget, and have a wonderful year of GRACE!
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Ah I love that! I never heard that saying before, but it makes sense. And focus is a fabulous word. I know I personally get distracted by things that don’t matter. And in today’s society with smartphones and such, many people would likely agree. (Actually, I think distraction is a tactic of the enemy.) Thanks so much for sharing! I love it! ❤️
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I love it! I’ve done a word for the year for over a decade. It really helps me stay focused. This year the word is launch, but in the background I can see boundaries playing a part, too. Have a blessed 2020!
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Thanks so much for sharing! I love hearing the words that others have chosen. You are right, it does help us to stay focused. Our word reminds us to prioritize what’s important and let go of what’s not. I hope you have a blessed 2020 as well! 🌟
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Grace is a great word choice. I haven’t chosen a word myself, but I guess my focus this year is to do everything with love…paying particular attention to patience and gentlenesss. That should keep me on the right track. 😊 Nice post, Bridget. It was an enjoyable read.
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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. And thanks so much for sharing your 2020 goals. I think love, patience, and gentleness are perfect things that we all can work on as we grow more like Jesus. Happy New Year to you and your hubby! 💜
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This year, I chose Beauty. It’s a difficult concept for me, and I decided it was long past time I become acquainted with God’s definition. 🙂
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Ah now that is a lovely word and it has so much potential to help one grow and learn in different areas. I love it! Thanks so much for sharing! I pray your 2020 holds an abundance of beauty! 🌹
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Thank you! ❤
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Lovely post Bridget. I have not chosen a word for this year but after reading this am going to pray about it and see what word God leads me to.
Blessings to you 💙
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Yay! How exciting! I love when other people pick a word for the year as well. Please let me know what you decide! 🌹
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Will do 😊👍🏼
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