One Word Challenge

Many of you have jumped on board with this idea of choosing just one word to focus on for the entire year ahead.  From what I have read this year, many people are just picking a word that they think is something they need to work on in their own lives...or as one blogger said, "pick one word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live."

I think that I have a different take on this 'One Word' thing from most. For me, picking a word and becoming that word is not my goal. You see, God gave me a word in 2008...Yes...I did say that this word came from God.  I heard it over and over...as close to being a real hear it out loud voice as I have ever gotten. I knew that God was trying to tell me something. I just really had no idea what I was to do with that word. Quite frankly...it scared me!  

So I struggled with the word from February of 2008 until January 2012, trying to figure out just what I was to do with this word...WRITE! Then I came across Debbie Macomber's book, One Perfect Word. In her book, she tells us how she took the time to intentionally focus on a single word—such as prayer, trust, or surrender—for an entire year, which created a change in her own life and heart, and not just herself but those around her. In Debbie's words: 

The surprising thing is that when we decide to focus on one word for the year, God takes part in the choosing. That's why the word is perfect for us. We may not see it at the time, but as we look back, we see that it all worked together - our word, our life, our journey.

After reading her words, I began to realize what God wanted me to do with this word. It was like a light went on in my head. Finally, I knew. Not only that, I decided that instead of making a New Year's resolution, I would begin praying each year around Christmas time that God would reveal to me the word He wanted me to focus on.  This was not a resolution but a year-long one-word journey!
 
I also challenged women in my current women's ministry and from my previous church to take the One Perfect Word Challenge. As they share their words with me, I create pictures for them to post in their workplace or set as backgrounds for their computer screens as reminders to think about their work throughout the year.  I'd like to share those photos with you and the journey that creating those photos took me on.
  
This page will contain the links to each page I post with the word art I create, as well as the things that I am discovering about my own word for this year...Nurture. I hope that you enjoy them. 

If you haven't already....take the challenge…

Instead of a New Year's resolution, just pick one word(with prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit), for the new year. This one word will be your personal work for the year…dwell on it…meditate on it…work on it…by the end of the year let us know how it has become a part of your life. 

Links to other One Word posts... Just click on the word to go to the post! :-)

Nurture

Poise

Grace