You Don't Always get to Choose Your Word of the Year

by Taylor White

For most of us, a new year means new hope, fresh perspectives and a re-invigorated sense of purpose. With optimism, we look toward to the coming year as a chance to do things better, do it right this time and do more. In lieu of a more traditional list of resolutions, many people adopt a “word of the year” to lead them with focus and intention. I’ve always thought it was a great concept... for other people. My non-conformist tendencies have not allowed me to participate in such a popular trend until a few months ago, that is.

Last year wasn’t going exactly as I had hoped. It was August, and my 36th birthday was approaching, which prompted me to begin to reflect on the year so far. It certainly hadn’t been a bad year; I had more than enough, the relationships closest to me were flourishing, my family’s health was good. So what was I still lacking? After much thought, I came to a very simple answer: fun. Maybe I was stuck in a rut, bogged down by responsibilities and duties and just needed more fun! So, very privately (as to not expose the fact that I have now jumped on the word-of-the-year bandwagon), I decided I would claim the word “fun” for the rest of the year. Surely I could change the course of my year by intentionally having more fun.

A month passed, and I still wasn’t having as much fun as I had hoped. I felt no different. “Maybe we don’t always get to choose our word for the year,” I thought. If you know me well, you may know that kind of thinking isn’t easy for me to accept. If there’s a will, there’s a way, is one of the mantras I live by. I strongly believe that we must take our thoughts captive, set our minds on things above and control our attitudes and perspectives. We can discipline ourselves to be better... and we should. Setting a word for the year can help you live with more purpose and awareness.

The truth is, however, that we make our plans, but God determines our steps (Psalm 16:9). And as much as I wanted to have a “fun” year, God had given me a not-so-fun year. In fact, if I had to describe my year in one word, it would be humility. I’m not sure I’ve ever known someone to choose “humility” as his or her word of the year, but that is often one God chooses for us. With Jesus as our example, we are called to humble ourselves before our God and others—putting their needs before our own, not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought. And because of God’s great love for us, the Spirit is constantly working to sanctify us to a more humble and dependent state. When we are fully dependent on him, boasting in our weaknesses, then we are ripe to be used by God. We can look forward to the hope that if we humble ourselves, he will lift us up in due time (1 Peter 5:6.) Whether we are ever exalted on this earth or not, we certainly can rest in the fact that he will raise us to join Him in heaven one day.

So in 2020, I’m sure hoping and praying for a lot of fun, but I’m also standing with my arms open wide, willing to take whatever you’ll give me, Lord. Humiliation and all.

Author bio
Taylor is the wife of Council Road's Groups Pastor, Micah White, and mother to Navy and Foster. She works as a PA in Oklahoma City and is also passionate about serving and edifying the local Church. She most enjoys time with her family but can also be found reading, teaching, making music, hand-lettering and hosting gatherings. She loves a friendly debate and a good laugh.