A Word to focus on
As one year ends and a new year begins, I usually find myself feeling rather melancholy. It is not so much a feeling of sadness but more introspective that yet again another year has flown by. Did I do enough, accomplish what I set out to do, be intentional in the things that really matter or make a difference? I often think, if only there was a little more time!
Does anyone else feel this way?
Don't get me wrong, I do get excited for a fresh start and new beginnings. There are many things to look forward to, like my daughter graduating from high school and heading into the mission field for a time while my son turns 21 and begins his last semesters of college. But in thinking about this new year, I wonder, what do I have to be excited about for me?
Several years ago I gave up the notion of making New Year resolutions. For me, these were just shallow ideas of things I would like to accomplish. There was no substance, nothing binding to keep me on task. Instead, I have now turned my focus on a specific word for the year. In my quiet time, I would ask that God would give me a word that He wanted me to stay intentional with. My word for 2021 was Restore. There were a lot of things that happened in 2020, and even prior, that unsettled me. So, 2021 was a year to focus on restoring things that had been lost, both outward and inwardly.
My word for 2022 is Receive. So, this week has been spent brainstorming ideas and setting goals both personally and professionally. Each new objective is designed with the idea of centering it around the word, Receive. To be honest, I really do not know how this word will play out, but I am excited to find out.