Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it’s 2017 already. Wasn’t it just 1991 and I was planning my wedding? Ok, so maybe it doesn’t feel like it’s that long ago, but the whole Y2K thing feels like yesterday. Here we are, already 17 years later. Wow! Even more of a reminder of what I thought I’d write about today…
Do you have a focus word or phrase for this coming year? As I’ve reflected on the past year and have thought about the coming year, one word keeps coming to mind for me. It’s “STEWARD“. As in stewardship. That word has been very meaningful to me lately and I’ve chosen it to be my theme / focus for 2017. I want to be a good steward of my life.
As I mentioned above, time seems to be flying by. One minute I’m bringing home a newborn from the hospital and the next minute (it seems) he’s now turning 23. Repeat that scene multiple times and I can really feel time passing by. We’re only given so much time with our children. Only so much time with our spouses. Only so much time here on earth in general. We don’t have time to waste with foolish choices or careless words and actions.
As I thought about that, it seemed like the perfect theme for this coming year. I’m a steward of everything in my life. Will I be a good steward or a bad steward? I want to live this year being intentional in every moment. Every relationship, every opportunity, every choice. I want to use them wisely. I can never go back in time. It will continue to move forward whether I use it wisely or not. I want to look back and have no regrets.
So, I want to see each opportunity as a choice– will I be a good steward of it or a bad one? What will be the best use of that opportunity? What would God have me to do with it? My babies are growing up. John and I are getting older. Each day is truly a gift and I want to live a life of gratitude, being a good steward of that gift each day.
Then I thought a little more…
I decided that I would also like to pick a word for my husband and each of my children this year. Not that this will be a word they will have to embrace, but a word that I chose to pray for them. I thought about each of them and where they are in life right now. We have a son already out of college, one in college, another in the military and starting college later this year, a daughter in high school, one in jr. high, and then the two little guys in K and 1st grade. (I know, crazy— right?) They each have unique challenges and opportunities before them based upon their stages of life. So, I prayed about which word I wanted to focus on for each of them and wrote them all down. Those words will be my theme as I pray for them this year.
What about you?
Have you ever chosen a word or theme for your year? What about for your family members? What difference would it make if you chose to focus on a word/phrase as a theme for yourself or others this year?
Add some scripture…
After I chose a word for each of my kids and my husband, I went through my Bible and found verses that go with each word. I ended up with a really big list for each word. I printed them all out and put them in my binder. I’ll use them as I pray for my family. I’m really excited to see what God will do in their lives over the next year! I also made a big list of scriptures dealing with stewardship for myself.
Your turn– if you would like to join in:
Take out a piece of paper or a journal and choose a word or phrase for yourself and your family members. Find scriptures that go with those words and begin praying for yourself and your family using those words and Scriptures.
I like to be practical, so here are a few questions to keep you accountable?
- Where will you put your words or scriptures so that you’ll be reminded of them?
- What support do you need to put in place to keep you on track as the year goes on?
I’d love to hear the words you chose or why you chose what you did! Leave a comment!
