Last year is the first time I chose one word to center my year. A new way to make a “new year’s resolution”.
How did I do?
Horribly…
In fact, I didn’t even remember what my word for 2012 was. I had to go back on my blog to see that I chose Faith-Focus. That’s pretty bad 🙁
I had 43 people share their one-word in 2012. If you were one of those…
How did you do last year with your one-word?
In 2012, I didn’t see or read my word on a regular basis. It was not in the forefront my mind. So, I’m posting it near my desk so I read it every day. I’m also putting it in the kitchen. Every mom spends time at the kitchen sink, so that’s a fantastic place to be reminded of your one-word.
At the bottom of this post, you can grab my free printable & post your one word for 2013 wherever you like.
I’ve been thinking & praying about what God wants me to do in 2013. A few ideas include ministry, orphans and hospitality. But what continues to strike me is PRAISE. Last week I read the following verse and was challenged to praise God continually
My tongue shall speak of Your righteousness &
of Your praise all the day long…
Why a challenge for me?
I complain too much.
I am critical.
I gossip.
This has been a struggle & weakness my entire life. I remember reading Psalm 19:14 in high school & being convicted of what I say.
Let the words of my mouth & the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, My Rock & Redeemer
My overall goal in 2013 is to use my tongue to praise & uplift. My plan (right now when it seems easy) is to read a Psalm out loud every morning after my devotions. I want to memorize those praises from Psalms so they are continually on my lips.
If I continually praise & uplift . . .
I will not complain…
I will not be critical…
I will not gossip…
If I speak of God’s righteousness each & every day, my focus will be on Him instead of me.
Lastly, I want to share another reason I am choosing praise as my one-word for 2013.
My son, Hunter is always positive about life, circumstances & difficult times. He calms me down when I get upset about silly things. He gives me those looks, like “Mom, it’s ok”.
Isn’t it funny how a 20 year old can inspire you to be better? I hope to follow Hunter’s example of not complaining or being critical in 2013.
I’m posting this sign near my desk. If you want to print out a similar sign for your desk, kitchen sink or bathroom mirror, just fill in your first name and primary email and I’ll email it to you immediately.
What is your one word for 2013?
I have another giveaway for anyone who wants to share their word. With a new year at hand, it’s time to get organized, so you can win a copy of Let’s Get Organized by leaving a comment with your one word for 2013.
You can leave a comment by clicking here. Be sure to open the rafflecopter giveaway below so your entry shows up.
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78 Comments
Last year it was Joy, for 2013 it is Peace!
I’d been considering whether or not I was going to choose one word this year, and then I found Debbie Macomber’s book, One Perfect Word, in the library. I read the whole thing in two days. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has chosen a word. She tells of fourteen different words she’s had over the years and how each one has impacted her life. She also provides some great ideas for studying and keeping the word before you. I thought I had a word for 2013, but the book encouraged me to pray and ask God if that’s what He wanted – it wasn’t. The word God has chosen for my year is “steadfast,” and the main verse is Lamentation 3:22 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”
Thanks for sharing One Perfect Word. Sounds like a great read. That gives me the idea of possibly choosing one word for each month of the year and really work on it.
Positivity. There is so much negativity and it gets you no where. When you are positive, all things are possible through God!
Being positive is difficult in our society. Just turn on the news, read the paper or look on the internet. That’s one reason I chose praise, so I could change from being negative to positive.
Hospitality: I have a very busy life wrapped around my children, business, music students, and church. Although I have “ministries”, they are all unrelated to people interaction.
i.e.church pianist, treasurer, etc. I feel so out of touch with PEOPLE! In small ways the Lord has been leading me to this. A devotional on hospitality, my mother asked me if we could throw a Ladies Tea with the focus on …you guessed it – hospitality, and an old friend has reentered my life asking if we could get together on a regular basis. So, my 2013 study on hospitality begins with Rom. 12:5-19 note v.13 “given to hospitality”
Keep me posted on your hospitality devotional. I started reading a book this morning about hospitality through faith. Maybe we can compare notes. I slacked on hospitality last year and want to do a better job of having families to our home
My one word is LOVE. I get so caught up in the day to day activity I feel like I forget to SHOW love to those around me.
Good point. I have to remind myself to slow down and work on relationships
My word for the year is: live. I blogged about it here: http://maasupdate.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-word-for-year-live.html?m=1
Thanks for sharing your post…
That is tough to think of one word b/c I feel that lately I’m finding many words I could work on. I think I will choose — Remember.
Remember God’s promises
Remember God’s grace
Remember to love others
Remember to be kind, forgiving, etc.
There is so much I need to choose to remember. Instead I want to focus on negative things and get down. Yesterday was one of those days. But then I was reading a book that reminded me that it isn’t about me. I want to be a mentor-leader for my children, be their encourager, love them for how God made them and created them. To Remember.
Nancy,
I like your list of Remember’s So true and hard to do without God’s help
thankfulness
Our one word for the year is Courage. 🙂 I will have a courageous year this year, and not let fear hold me back from what God has planned for us. I blogged about it here: http://www.thepottershandacademy.com/our-word-of-the-year-in-2013/
Fear can keep us back from what God has for us. Courage is so needed at times.
I pinned!
Is it cheating to choose Praise as well? For the same reasons and because I have felt rather blah lately and have lost my zeal and hunger. I think the continuing in praise will ignite my zeal and increase my hunger as well. So, I think Praise. Still praying about it, though. This is the first I have heard of the concept (new here) and I like it, but don’t want to jump in too quickly but be more contemplative and choose the word God has for me.
No, it’s not cheating. Glad you’re going to think about it
JOY!
Peace. Life can be crazy sometimes. I need to remember that God is my peace in the midst of the storms.
Life is often crazy as a homeschooler. I completely understand
Compassion
My husband and I chose Selflessness. Each person in our family gets so focused on the “what’s in it for me?” mentality. Thank you for the free printable and the giveaway.
Isn’t that the truth…thanks for sharing
Oh, and your link for the free printable that was just e-mailed to me is not working (even when I copy it). I would love to receive it, though!
Kimberly,
I just sent you an email.
What a great idea!! You’ve got me thinking now… hmmm….
Think about it & come back to share…
My word for the year is nurture. I too forgot all about my one word last year … I started a blog to help me chronicle my journey this year.
http://simplehealthyhome.com/new-year-new-blog/
Starting a blog about your one word is a great idea. I might borrow your idea & share how I’m doing every month. Hope that’s ok
“Simplify” is my word for 2013!
I didn’t do a word last year. This year my word is WAIT.
http://coffeencaramel.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/one-word-2013/
Wait on the Lord…what a great reminder
FREEDOM
My one word for 2013 will be diligence.
I need to become more focused on my family
life and homeschooling and not on distractions.
I completely understand, Judi. Next week I’m sharing some ideas on focus & distractions. Hope it will be helpful
Oh my, it is hard to choose one word, but “Thanksgiving” is a good place to start, right?! 🙂
Even though I didn’t choose thanksgiving last year, I spent much time being more thankful.
I don’t have a word for 2013 yet, but in review of last year my word would be new. My kids entered childhood with learning to ride bikes, tie lace shoes, and swim. One child also lost his first tooth and the oldest accepted Christ. His mercies are new every morning and I praise God I am called to home school so I can be a part of watching my little ones grow physically, mentally, and spiritually.
What a fun word…new. Keep me posted on the new things that happen in 2013
Honestly, I have never done the one word thing. I am thinking I like the word dedication for this year though. It can pertain to so many things in life!
You are so right. Dedication can be applied to so many areas of our lives. I am dedicated in some areas & miserable in others.
I have been slowly reading through one thousand gifts during my quiet time this month. My word to reiterate Nancyt is Thankfulness.
I didn’t choose thankfulness last year, but in the summer that became my mantra. Glad you are reading One Thousand Gifts. it will encourage you to be more thankful.
It is definitely Pray.
I have been going back and forth on this. It came down to diligence and repentance. I finally chose repentance for this year. Our verse for this will be 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land.
My heart is so broken right now for our land. It’s broken for my children who I don’t think understand true repentance. I’ve committed to this year living it out for them, teaching it to them, and just overall being more repentant in my own life.
I also was led to Psalm 51 as a passage of repentance. It really ended up being the reason I chose repentance as my word for the year. Verse 17 tells us that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise
You are so right about our land needing repentance. We were talking about this last night at a retirement party. Appreciate your verse & passage…
My word is “glorify,” with thought given to “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” or, as Desiring God puts it, “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.”
I am also endeavoring to spend more quality time with my kids, which is, of course, one way to glorify God, and hopefully enjoy Him AND my kids!
What a great word & tie-in to the catechism. I know I want to glorify God in all I do – family, home, church, friends…
TRUST… I have been thinking about it and this is a year to TRUST the Lord in everything. I told my husband my one word, and he agrees with me. So, I guess it will be a word for both of us this year. Thanks Kerry for the inspiration!
You’re so welcome. Thanks for sharing…and I know it is appropriate
ACCOMPLISH
Gentleness, is my word. God gives us a Spirit of Gentleness as a gift along with many other gifts of the Spirit. I tend to fight this one with self attitude and actions. I’m not often gentle in my speech and quite often not in some actions. This year I would like to exercise that gift that I know is in me because He said it was. I want to be more submissive to His ways and allow Him to better work through me touching others with a gentle spirit.
I completely understand. I am not naturally a gentle person. Tend to react sharply at times.
Last year my word was Abundance. I had hoped for an abundance of family time, scriptures, meditation. While I had kept my word as much as I could in thought, I still didn’t manage to keep to the abundance of what I had hoped to gain. Instead, I ended up with an abundance of spite, and complaint in my tribulations-which I had also had an abundance of. This year, my word is SEEK. I want to make sure that I am Seeking the Lord. That I am seeking what He would have me do, that I am seeking good. My scripture is Deuteronomy 4: 29.
I appreciate your honesty. As I wrote above, my natural tendency is to complain, not praise. Another verse that comes to mind for SEEK is Matthew 6:33 – Seek ye first the kingdom of God & His rigteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
That is another great scripture! I am putting several scriptures around my house for the reminder. This will definately be added! Thank you! 🙂
CONNECT…more with God, my husband, my children, my extended family, my church, my friends…with LIFE.
In October, I made a goal to connect more with my parents (in person) the next year. I like the idea of connecting with a variety of people in my life.
Grace, my word, grace for me for my children and for my husband.
When I was homeschooling, I often prayed for extra grace…I needed it!
Last year mine was gentle, I am more gentle than I was but certainly not at all like The Mercy Giver!!! This year I have a theme starting out, it’s Rest & Invest.
I told Dolly that I am not a naturally gentle person & especially not like the Mercy Giver! Rest reminds me of Hebrews 4 and a discussion of rest. Would love to hear how you integrate rest & invest over the year.
My word this year is Accountable, as I want every part of my life this year to be held accountable to God and His Word.
Love the name of your blog (Raising Sticky Hands). Will you find an accountability partner? Just curious
GRACE. I need to remember to extend grace to others 🙂
My one word for 2013 is “Trust”. Sometimes I find myself getting ahead of myself and not trusting God as I should. Sometimes I have a hard time trusting others and in my birth work I have to always trust the process. “Trust” is certainly the word for 2013 for me.
My word for 2013 is LIVE. I want to fully live instead of just existing.
How appropriate that the giveaway is about organization! My focus for the year is to declutter my life and be a blessing to those placed in my sphere of influence. I am in the process of decluttering my home, my routine, my homeschool curriculum, and even my body. I feel so bogged down by it all and know that God wants me to experience the blessings that comes when I can focus on relationships rather than the clutter. My word is “blessings”.
Great idea!! I think I’ll pick Glorify. All we do in life should bring Glory to The Lord and if t doesn’t then we shouldn’t be doing it.
Released
from: the past, fear
to: fully express the creativity God has placed in me
as: an arrow
My word for this year is trust. Our family has had a really hard year; oldest son who is,married and has 3 children lives in Illinois and we live in Florida. Neither one of us can afford to travel. So its been 6 years since I have seen my son and have yet to meet my grandbabies, our other son told us he is gay and believes God says it is ok, our daughter moved out and is running away from God, my husband lost his job and has not been able to find work and is very discouraged, and I have not been trusting God, but instead have let my circumstances dictate how I feel and if I serve Him. I have been spending more time in bed then out of bed. I want to “Trust the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. Acknowledging Him in all my ways, knowing when I do, He will direct my steps.” All the circumstances from 2012 have continued into 2013. I don’t know what more is in store for our family. But no matter what, I want to trust the One who does know, who cares for me, who saved me, and who has a plan for this life that He redeemed, because He will be glorified and I can choose to trust Him and delight in Him, or be miserable and miss all that He wants to do thru me. Prayers very much appreciated.
Lori,
I just prayed for you & your family. I think you are on the right track by choosing trust as your word for 2013. Put your verse (Prov 3:5-6) next to your bed, kitchen sink &/or bathroom mirror so you read it every day…several times a day. God will give you the faith to trust in Him during a very difficult time in your family’s life.
My word is hopeful. There are some things in my life that I am very hopeful about, some are changes that I’m making and others are relationships I’m trying to improve.
Look at you, printing out words – just love your handiness and creativity! And glad you linked up at Sisters for this ONE Word – I enjoy reading all the post, so inspiring and uplifting.
Praise.
One idea for you … compliment as many people as you can when out and about. A shirt, a bag, a hairdo, a well behaved child, or a sympathetic smile to the Mom of a not so well behaved child … its praise too, and makes you smile xxx
Thanks for your kind words. I agree with complimenting those when you are out & about. I also send thank you cards to those that help me – auto repairman, clerk, hair dresser, waitress. It keeps me in a positive attitude.