Happy Sweet 16! We are now into 2016. This is that time of year when social media is filled with articles about making New Year’s resolutions and achieving goals. Chances are you probably haven’t made any goals for the year, and have absolutely no resolutions that you’d like to make. This may or may not be a good thing.

As Christians it’s important that we live intentionally. We do need to plan for the future.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.” Luke 14:28-32

Jesus’ rhetorical question is a good example about the importance of planning ahead. He was telling his potential followers to consider the costs of following him, and within this teaching, he also shows us the importance of thinking things through before making a commitment to it. A lack of commitment can spell disaster and failure.

I have no tips or step by step instructions on how you can achieve your goals for the year or how to stick to your resolutions. But what I do want to do is encourage you to choose a word to help guide you through this year and a verse to go along with it.

One Word 365 and  My One Word are the websites I went to a couple of years ago to learn more about the concept of choosing one word of focus and character building for the span of a year. I still had goals that needed to be achieved, but having a character building word to focus on was helpful.  Having a single word helped to remind me that reaching a goal is more than just checking off requirements on my to-do list; in the process of working towards my goals, I needed to build character. God isn’t interested in our earthly accomplishments if we obtain them in ways that produce bad spiritual fruit and draw us further away from Him and His will.

This year I had a difficult time settling for just one word. There were two words that had been on my heart and mind at various times in 2015. Through prayer and meditation I realized my two words would be Grace and Mindfulness. Grace was first and mindfulness was second. These two words will be the seeds that help me grow towards my goals for 2016 and keep my vision for the year infused with God’s word, His Holy Spirit, and His will.

Each week I will post what has been on my heart and mind in relation to my one word(s). Each year my chosen word takes a trajectory in my life that I hadn’t seen coming; this is one of the things I love about this alternative to resolutions. With New Year’s resolutions you are so focused on what you don’t want to be and this helps lead you in an unhealthy direction where you are focusing on the negative. By choosing one focus word (or two in my case!), your time and energy is directed towards positive, godly changes.

God sees and knows all that is good within us. He is sure of what we are able to accomplish. The Lord loves us as we fumble towards the callings in our lives.

 

 

 

 

My One Word Verse: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My One Word Quote:

 

If you’d like to learn more about choosing one word to help direct your year check out myoneword.com or oneword365.com