How to Choose Your Word of the Year – with Printable Monthly Reflection Sheets

Happy New Year! 🥂

Hi friend, I would love to know the guiding word you chose for this new year so I can write it down in my prayer journal and keep you prayed up! 🩷

Perhaps, you’re curious what I mean by a guiding word? Either way, I’m SO glad you’re here!

Unlike traditional New Year Resolutions, which tend to focus heavily on behavior management or external achievements, choosing a guiding word is a grace-filled practice to gently re-set our heart’s intentions for spiritual growth in the new year.

Christ invites us into a journey of focused, inner spiritual growth and healing as we aim to live, move and breathe in rhythm with Him …

My Gift to you:
Here are two printable Resources to help guide you on this beautiful journey …

• 200 Word of the Year Ideas to inspire (or perhaps confirm?) your word.
• Monthly Reflection Sheets to help you spend 15 minutes each month reflecting, assessing and celebrating your progress. An extra page with space for journaling or verse mapping is included each month for those who desire to go deeper … 

My spirit longs to cultivate a rhythm of rest and stillness in Christ this year. The beautiful word Still resonates with me and I chose two anchoring verses this time around: Psalm 46:10 and Psalm 107:29.

Here are some helpful tips to help you find your personal word of the year:

1. PRAY – Always begin in prayer with everything you set out to do. Ask God to give you discernment for the direction He is leading you in this new year while keeping in mind that His thoughts and His ways are always higher and better than ours.

2. REFLECT – Take time to pause and reflect to help you set your intentions for this new year. Think about lessons, struggles, victories and joys of this past year. Do you see a recurring theme in your life? Which Bible Verse(s) keep leaping out at you? Is there something God keeps calling your attention to?

3. CONTEMPLATE – Once you’ve reflected, allow yourself to dream with God about the year ahead. Is there a characteristic of God you want to focus on? A fruit of the Spirit you want to cultivate? Do you need to grow in your identity in Christ? Which direction is God leading you in this season? What areas of your life need a supernatural touch from God … growth, renewal, restoration, healing?

4. ALIGN – Strive to align the word you’re considering with Scripture as God’s Word is our ultimate guide. Several years ago, I searched for inspiration and came across “Kick-Ass” in a list of word ideas on someone’s blog. While I get where she’s coming from lol, I doubt the Holy Spirit would give us this word to guide our spiritual growth. Also, look for verses that resonate with the direction you feel God is leading you. Scriptures will often confirm the word you’re leaning toward.

5. CHOOSE YOUR WORD – Finally, choose your word(s). By now, a word and a Bible verse will likely stand out to you. Write it down, pray over it, and trust God will use it to guide you through the year. Some years, you may be in a season of growth and prefer an active word like Determined, Vigilant or Fearless. Other years may call for gentler, healing words such as Held, Quiet or Stillness.

Here are some examples of Guiding Words with Anchoring Verses:

JOY: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” Ps 16:11.

FEARLESS: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” Isa 41:10.

CREATE: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” Eph 2:10.

FOCUS: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” Matt 6:33.

PEACE: “He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him” Isa 26:3.

QUIET: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” Zeph 3:17.

HOPE: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” Rom 15:13.

Your focus word(s) and anchoring verses are personal between you and God. Pray earnestly and let His Spirit guide you toward that one word He will use to shape, challenge, carry, renew, focus or grow you in this upcoming season.

May this be the year we trust in God’s timing, surrender our plans and give Him room to write/rewrite our stories in deeper, more beautiful ways than we can imagine.

Live Loved in Christ,

Word of the Year Ideas with Monthly Reflection Sheets @ freshgracefortoday.com

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