Originally posted 1/2/2
This is your year! You have decided to select a Word of the Year but you have no idea where to start. I want to remind you that there is no Biblical mandate to select a special word to focus on for a year. The only reason I do it is because it allows me to focus more on my relationship with the Lord. Just because I do this process doesn’t mean that you have to do the same things.
My words for 2024 are discipline and self-control. Having greater self-control will allow me to be more disciplined. Maybe it’s the other way around but at any rate, the words are intertwined. I will be focusing on both of them. As I work less each year, I have noticed that I don’t accomplish as much. I also have noticed that I have some habits that need to be changed.
Now that my words are selected, I have begun searching for verses that go with my topic. I try to find one verse for each month. It isn’t necessary to do that, but it helps to encourage a year-long concentration. If I have a new verse to focus on each month, I tend to stick with my topic for longer. I’ve done it without a new verse every month and it doesn’t work as well for me. When I have the verse change at the beginning of each month, it just brings back the focus at the beginning of each month. I use an electronic Bible to do a quick search. Sometimes you might have to look at synonyms if you cannot find the exact word. The cards sit on my desk where I pray each morning. I can read it every day. I would even try to memorize some of these verses. Committing more verses to memory is also another way to improve my discipline.
As you continue to pray and read Scripture relating to your word, begin praying about steps to make this word apply to your life. When my word was “intentional”, I would pray for ways that I should be intentional. I had to prepare myself for changes that would be necessary in my life.
The most difficult part is deciding where you need to make changes. I would recommend selecting just a few things to change. You have to make sure that you are selecting realistic things to tackle. I know that I need to develop discipline and self-control concerning my eating habits. It would be unrealistic for me to choose to never snack. I know before I start I cannot make that change. However, it would be realistic to limit myself to one snack a day and not anything after 8 pm. I know that I watch too much TV. It keeps me from getting things done that need to be done. It’s impossible for me to not watch any TV. It might be realistic to agree not to turn the TV on before noon.
You want to make sure that you take small steps. I am the type of person who needs immediate success to make more success. Perhaps that is the reason I need to work on my discipline. If I were a disciplined person, I would be able to stick it out.
The only way any of this can be successful is through constant prayer. When we turn our plans over to the Lord, He will help us succeed. We need to surrender our plans in order to accomplish the Lord’s plans. I know that by committing to work on self-control and discipline, many changes will be necessary in my life. In many ways, I am not looking forward to the process. In so many ways, it feels like I am praying for patience. I couldn’t even begin to tackle such plans if I didn’t fully trust the Lord and what He can do in my life. I pray for His grace and mercy as He molds me into the Christian woman He wants me to become.