2024 Word of the Year
Word of the year? Have you ever heard of this? Have you done this before? This is a new to me concept. I truly felt called to participate in this and I am here to encourage you to do the same; if you too feel called to do so. You choose a word to cling to and hold tight to for the year. Choose a word that resonates with you, a word to encourage you throughout the year, a word that speaks to your soul.
For those that know me, know I’m a constant worrier. Always pondering what could possibly go wrong, rather than pondering what could go right and be so GOOD. Being a worrier often holds me back from taking that leap of faith. One evening, I came across a post with a title that read Words to Take You Through the Year followed by these words:
“You don’t know what will happen next month, next year or in the future. It’s hard, but try not to worry. Worry doesn’t help you; it only holds you back. Instead, trust in yourself that you will get through any challenges, any hard times. Just as you have so far. Do you remember those times when you didn’t know how you could go on? Well, you did. Look at you now. So, trust in it all. And trust in yourself. Trust that you’ll know what to do. Trust that you will have people around you to support you. Trust that you’ll do what you can with what you know. And trust that that will be enough.” ****Wow, did these words speak to me.
Shortly after reading & sharing this post, a friend messaged me sharing about her experience with choosing a word for the year. She encouraged me to pray and find a word to cling on to for the year. Once I select my word of the year, find bible verses that include your word of the year. I immediately fell in love with this. How amazing! How inspiring; instant chills!
Before I went to bed that evening, I read my daily devotional. This was my devotional reading for that particular evening:
My goodness, I was in complete shock with how this devotional resonated with how I was feeling. This devotional aligned with the post I came across earlier that evening. “We don’t have to become weary if we remember that we serve a God who loves us so much that he wants us to shrug off the burdens that make us ache and trust him instead.” Followed by the bible verse of “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” (John 14:1, NLT) So beautiful. Again, in awe of finding words that truly spoke to my soul.
The next morning, I decided to clean out my purse. To my surprise, I found a prayer card in my purse. You’ll never guess which prayer card was inside; the Litany of Trust prayer card. Once again, in complete awe in finding this particular prayer card in my purse. A sure sign of God’s presence. I’ll share pictures below of the Litany of Trust prayer.
After experiencing all of this, can you guess the word I chose to cling on to for my very first Word of the Year? Do you see the common theme? TRUST. I felt an instant calling to cling to the word Trust this year. And oh my, is the word trust fitting for my worrying mind. I will be praying to trust more in God and His plan; after-all His plan is always far greater than my own. Thank you, God for allowing me to trust in taking this leap of faith in creating this space. I cannot wait to lift this up and trust in the growth of this new journey.