Do you choose a ‘word of the year?’ With a new year comes a flood of hopes and promises to do things differently. There’s eating better, praying more, and reaching out to people more frequently. Add in reading the Bible every day, and probably the number one most broken resolution: exercising more.
But along comes the middle of January, and well-thought-out resolutions have fallen flat like confetti on New Year’s Eve. Resolutions are often fleeting because they are rooted in one’s ability to keep them.
Word of the Year Alternative
However, choosing a ‘word of the year’ offers a different posture for entering the new year.
In this episode of Living the Grace Life, host Jennifer Sakata discusses the tradition of choosing a ‘word of the year’ and how it can shape one’s spiritual journey. Reflecting on her own experiences with words like ‘joy’ and her new word for 2025, ‘come,’ Jennifer shares how this practice helps deepen one’s experience of God’s grace.
Word of the Year through Reflection
The episode emphasizes the importance of pausing to reflect, including both joys and sorrows. Amid these reflections, a word or phrase often separates itself from the others. Listeners are encouraged to explore their own word of the year and its potential to transform their connection with God and others through the grace-filled life.
Word of the Year Quotes from Jennifer Sakata:
“Our coming forward often leads to moving away from something else.”
“As God and his Spirit hovered over all the possibilities, what he spoke happened. A word created, and life was never the same again.”
“Emmanuel is God with us, 365 days a year.”
Key Scripture from the conversation:
Genesis 1 “…And that is what happened.”
Colossians 3:16 “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, dwell in you richly. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”