Defining 2019

As children, we’re told that words are meant to live by. As people, we search for the perfect words to connect our hearts and minds to others. And, as Christians, we trust that His words are, as 2 Timothy 3:16 says, God-breathed and useful for training us to flourish in God’s way.

Words matter. We know this. But, my question for you, is which word will matter most for you during 2019?

Two years ago, my boss, Tony, challenged me to choose a word - one word - that would define my vision for the year. After much consideration, I decided my word for 2017 would be JOY.

I knew I had so much to be joyful about: a God who loved me and continued to passionately pursue a deeper relationship with me, a loving husband with a servant’s heart, two healthy young-adult children who were flourishing, a job with bright things on the horizon, amazing friends and family to share life with and the good health and financial freedom to enjoy it all.

And yet I sensed God calling me to realize that I needed to stop waiting for life to be perfect and begin to experience the deep joy of all that he had blessed me with in the present. So, I set the word JOY before me, determined to experience it more fully in 2017. I even made a cheesy bookmark with foam letters, ribbons and flowers and put it in my Bible.

Six weeks later, my son was diagnosed with leukemia. My heart was shattered and my life fell apart.

The day after his diagnosis, I needed God to speak to me, to comfort me, to encourage me. I had never felt more desperate and hopeless than I did in that moment. And yet when I opened up my Bible, what did I find? That cheesy bookmark and the word JOY glaring at me.

Really God? In your sovereignty, you knew full well what horror 2017 would bring, and yet you called me to find JOY? I never imagined how difficult, yet important, this vision for my year would come to be. You see, I wanted to find joy in my nearly-perfect life. But God was going to call me to find joy while all my comfort was stripped away and I was left face-to-face with Him as my sole source of security.

It was quite the journey; and a painful process. I promise you’ll hear lots more about it in posts to come.

What will your word be for 2019? What do you sense God is calling to be your intention for the year ahead? My prayer for you today is that you will find time to be still, ponder this question and ask God for his will for 2019 to be clear. Then, make a cheesy bookmark! Well maybe not, but write it down, claim it and then share it and this challenge with a friend. Share it with me in the comments too!