Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3: 12-14

 When you look back at 2023 what do you see? For me and my family, it has been a year of BIG changes! Transitions aplenty! Everyone in my immediate family moved into a new home. Tom and I moved to a new part of our state and have entered into a new season of work. Not only did we experience the natural chaos that comes with a move, but we also spent five months in limbo as we waited for our new house to be renovated and ready to move into. It has been a season of settling on the inside even when everything was unsettled on the outside. We have grown tremendously. As 2023 closes, we are in the beginning stages of settling into our new life. But what does God have in store for 2024?

If you have followed me for a while, then you know that I like to end each year with reflection and start the new year with a one-word theme. Keep reading if you don’t know what I mean!

There are plenty of resources to help you reflect, and I like to make use of them, but here are some questions from me to get you started.

What are you grateful to say goodbye to from 2023?

Has this been a tough year?

What can you celebrate?

What are some of the good gifts God gave you in 2023?

The New Year represents a fresh start, an opening of possibility. It represents a blank page where you get to write a new story. What story do you want to write? Now, here are some questions to consider as you look forward to 2024:

What do you want to say when you get to this time next year?

How would you like to grow in 2024?

In what way is God calling you to move forward and how will you focus on that?

Every story starts with one word, right? Here’s your challenge: Choose one word to focus on for your 2024 story. I have found it a great practice to help me focus on what God wants to accomplish in me each year. Here’s why.

Goals are helpful, but one word focuses your goals. If you are like me, you’ve had this experience. You create a list of goals and find that by the end of the year, some of the goals are completed while others are still hanging out there and get transferred to the goal list for the next year. For me, it wasn’t a perfect system, but it helped me to start the year purposefully. Having the goals written down on an index card used as a bookmark in my journal kept them before me throughout the year and helped me to refocus when necessary. I appreciated reviewing the card at the end of the year and seeing some progress. But choosing one word has helped me to tie all the goals together so that my focus is in one direction.

Your one word focuses on growth more than goals. Several years ago, I came across a reading plan in the YouVersion Bible app that challenged readers to choose one word to focus on rather than create a list of goals. The idea intrigued me, so I downloaded the guide and began the prayerful process of choosing one word to focus on. The objective was to allow God to show me an area I needed to grow in and to focus on that through my one word. 

My one word for that year was “value.” I had struggled with feeling valued and valuing my own thoughts, opinions, and contributions. So, along with the Bible verses I had picked up in our church New Years' service, I took an index card and wrote VALUE at the top, my New Year’s Scripture references below that, and crafted some goals built around the word VALUE. Some examples: I will value relationships. I will value my own voice. Get the idea? I made sure that these goals touched all areas of my life, personal and professional. As before, I kept that index card as a bookmark in my journal. My phone’s reminder feature was also a great way to keep the word “VALUE” in front of my eyes on a daily basis. By New Year’s Eve I could recognize where that focus had helped me grow. Success!

My word for 2023 was LAUNCH. So much launched in my life in 2023. But the growth for me came in launching out into areas I had never explored before, learning new things and starting a whole new journey. I can see growth in areas I hadn’t expected and God’s presence throughout. He is the one who “launched” it all.

Sound like something you’d like to try? Let me give you some suggestions to get you started. Here’s a snippet of Scripture full of words that might be worth your focus for the year: 

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14

 Do you need to focus on an identity statement? How about “chosen” or “holy” or “loved”? That’s who these verses say you are. Struggling with a relationship at home or work or church? You could focus on “compassion,” “kindness”, “humility”, “gentleness” or “patience.” Maybe your word is “forgiveness” or “forgiven” or “love” or “unity.”  

 The prayerful process of choosing one word helps to discover God’s goal for my year.  I still write specific and measurable task goals, and having that list helps me to keep making progress but choosing one word helps me to focus on the bigger goal.  “And what is that?" you ask? Our ultimate goal is to let God do His work IN us as well as through us. It's about becoming the person He wants me to be, not just doing what I think He wants me to do. Task goals that are also growth goals, but a one-word goal is more about growth than accomplishment. So, no matter what 2024 holds, you can be sure to make progress as you let God do what He wants to do in you and through you.

 What do you think? Will you pick up the challenge? Let me know! Send me an email here. And by the way, if you’d like to receive my weekly blog post by email, just sign up here. As a thank you, I’ll send you some tips on How to Be The Best You.  I look forward to sharing 2024 together. Let's make progress toward becoming who He wants us to be. 

 Blessings, Dear Friend, and as you write your 2024 story, I wish you a joyful awareness of God's presence as your new possibilities unfold. Happy New Year!

 Key thought: God wants to do His work IN us not just through us.

A Scripture to consider: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3: 12-14

 A YES challenge: Choose one word to focus on for 2024 and see what God does in your life. If you focused on one word for 2023 take some time to look back and review your year. What has God done in you as a result of your one-word focus? Take some time to journal and be sure to share what you discover with a trusted friend. 

 Prayer: Lord, You know me inside and out. You know where I most need to grow and what I need to focus on for this next year. Task goals have some merit, but I want a deeper goal. I want to write a story that focuses on growth in my character. I want to grow more like You and to become all that You planned for me. I give this year to You. Do Your work in me, not just through me. Amen. 

 Some resources: 
YouVersion (Bible.com) https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/809
Lots more info than I used at http://getoneword.com/