Happy New Year! What’s Your Word?
First published December 31, 2015
Did you pick your word for this year? It’s not too late.
Is what you're doing today aligned with what you committed to 6 months ago? #runmyrace Click To Tweet
Last year was the first time I came up with my word for the year. It seems that this is pretty common. People will have a word or phrase that sets their intention or focus for the year.
I could definitely look back and see themes in my life over the years. Certain years, I could probably identify by a word or phrase.
Do you have a word for this year? It's not too late to set your intention. #runmyrace Click To Tweet
But last year I got intentional with this idea of a word myself. After some reflection and prayer and searching scripture, I found my word for 2015. Beneficial. This would be my word, and my verse would be I Corinthians 10:23, “Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial”.
Not only would this be in regards to what I put INTO my mouth but this would also have an impact on what came OUT of my mouth, my words and even my actions. While I was not perfect (just ask my family! lol!), I had a focus. I had an intention. I had something by which to measure my words, my actions, the foods I chose, my schedule, etc. Everything came back to this one word and whether or not it was beneficial for me, for my family, for those around me. I’ve kept the word and verse on a note card where I can see it, pray it, reflect on it every day of 2015.
Now it’s time for my word for 2016. I’ve been thinking about this and reflecting for the last few weeks. I would jot down words as one came to me. I’d read a scripture that jumped out at me. I wrote it down and the word associated with it. Finally I decided on my word. It was something I kept coming back to and a verse that has kept coming up. It’s the word I feel the Lord has laid on my heart and intended for me this year…..
Run.
This is so much more than the physical activity I love to do. (If you know me at all or just know me through social media, you know I’m a runner!) Even though I do identify myself as a #runner, #runnermom……this has little to do with my exercise of choice. Sure I have some fitness goals. I want to get my half marathon time back under 2 hours (my fall halfs took me a few minutes over that 🙁
But this is about Hebrews 12:1. 
It’s about “laying aside the weight and sin” which tells me to let go of the things that distract and hold me back. And then “run with endurance the race set before us” which is telling me to run MY race. Basically, I want to keep my head down and GO in the direction He’s leading. Additionally I want to run this race like it tells me to in I Corinthians 9:24 in a way to obtain the prize. I want to RUN where He’s taking me with my best efforts, with His strength.
So in 2016 I’m running MY race. The race HE has set before me. (Keeping my eyes on my own paper!) At the end of 2016, I want to look back and know that I trained hard and ran wherever He told me to go and finished strong.
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I did not pick a word of the year, but could see how it would be helpful to set that intention.
This was definitely something new to me, so I’ve tried it out over the last couple of years. It’s been helpful during this stage of my life.