Holding Your Word of the Year Close All Year Long

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Diligent.

Rooted.

Ask.

Unhurried.

Those are some of the words I’ve held through the past four years as a way to set an intention for the year, a focus or theme to keep me moving in a particular direction.

Diligent and rooted were for those first years of business, doing what I needed to do to build a strong foundation and get things started right, in a way that was honoring to God. Ask represented not just a mindset of curiosity—ask lots of questions—but also a challenge to stretch out of my comfort zone and extend what seemed to be impossible invitations to others. And unhurried demonstrated what I hope to be our lifestyle of homeschooling and being together as a family and being fully present.

I could say that I chose the words, or it might be more accurate to say the words chose me, or that God invited me to step into that word as a way to draw closer to Him.

There is no doubt that having a word for the year can provide direction, focus, vision, even hope. It can offer encouragement when life feels hard, and it can help you make decisions based on your priorities and season of life.

But once you have your word, what do you do? How can you be intentional to hold it close throughout the entire year and not just let it fall by the wayside?

Today, it is my hope to offer you some ways to hold your word of the year close all year long. To do so, I’ll share my word for 2024 and specific ways I am intentional with keeping that word in front of me. As you listen, see what might work well for you and put that into practice here as we begin the new year—and even later on, if you happen to be listening to this months later.

Defining Your Word of the Year

My word for 2024 is home. It’s simple, I know. No big vocabulary-rich word here.

One of the first things I feel we need to do as we identify our word is to take time to define it, to metaphorically hold it in our hands and turn it around and see what it means for us and how it might impact our lives.

When I think about the word home and what it means to me, I think of two primary aspects: one being my family and the other being our physical house. So in my journal, I brainstormed how these two aspects would be impacted, with this being my word of the year. In other words, how does this word practically translate into changed behavior or focus?

Under the family heading, I wrote: husband and kids, 1:1 time, family fun, healthy food, home-cooked meals, and fully present.

Some of these are continued traditions, like a family fun night where we play a game or get a snack in town or visit family. Others we do kind of, sort of, but only every now and again. Fixing healthy, home-cooked meals is good for us—and for our finances. Finding 1:1 time with each person in the family will probably be the hardest one, one we’ll have to be more intentional with and plan ahead for.

Under the house heading, I wrote: safe and sacred space, declutter, clean and organized.

Our house is over 100 years old, and one of the challenges we have is that we have almost no storage space. There is one closet in the hallway, which currently holds our games and some cleaning supplies. Then each bedroom has a closet, but it’s designed oddly and it can be hard to use the full space. They’re normal-sized closets, which should fit folding doors or sliding doors on them or something, yet whoever put them in used a regular door instead, so you can only access half the closet. Again, it’s weird.

So almost everything we have is out in the open. Sure, some of it is stored in cabinets or bookshelves, but it’s visible. Part of our work for the upcoming year is going to be to get rid of what we don’t need or use anymore and simplify our space.

I believe that the way we care for our home is a way we can serve our families well. Our home isn’t incredibly dirty or messy, but I certainly have a lot of room to grow in this area.

Journal Prompts for the Beginning of the Year

Once you define your word of the year, there are several journal prompts you can use to dive into it more deeply.

• Are there any related quotes or Bible verses that would help motivate or inspire you throughout the year?
• Is there someone who sets an example for you in this area? Someone from the Bible, or a novel, or in real life?
• Who might be able to mentor you in this area, either formally or informally?
• How might focusing on this word impact you physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially, or relationally?
• In what ways can you intentionally grow in this word/area? Is there a book you can read, a course you can take, a podcast you can listen to?

Returning to my example, I have already scoured the library and Audible for books that might help me focus on my role as wife and mom and also ones that can help me create a more welcoming space here at home.

One is a devotional from Sally Clarkson entitled Mom Heart Moments: Daily Devotions for Lifegiving Motherhood, and it has a devotional for every day of the year. Sally also had a lot of books available through my Audible account for free listening, such as The Lifegiving Parent, The Lifegiving Table, and The Lifegiving Home. I’m sure there will be some similarities between them all, but they are all available. (Note, I don’t have to use all of them… they’re just options!)

I also have marked a few others, like Risen Motherhood, by Emily Jenson and Laura Wifler, and Missional Motherhood, by Gloria Furman. And, at a library book sale, I was able to grab Joanna Gaines’ book, Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave for only $2. What a deal! So in this way, the authors of these books become my informal mentors, women I can learn from.

And then there are the podcasts that help me with being a homeschooling mama and a wife that I will continue to listen to, such as A Delectable Education, Raising Arrows, and the Durenda Wilson podcast.

I’m still looking for some key quotes or Bible verses for this year, but Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is a core passage about teaching your kids about Christ and following His ways—you know, that intentional family discipleship that is so important for us as believers.

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Journal Prompts for Throughout the Year

While we take time to journal about our word of the year at the beginning of the year, I’ve found it helpful to periodically return to the journal page so we can reflect on how we’re doing. Whether you do this monthly or quarterly, here are some journal prompts to use throughout the year:

• How am I doing at reflecting this word in my life?
• What is going well?
• What has been a struggle?
• What needs to change?
• What aspect is God inviting me to lean into this month/quarter?
• What insights or revelations has God given to me regarding this?
• How has my word impacted my daily life/choices?

By answering questions like these, we can name, specifically, how we are seeing God work in our hearts and lives, and inviting Him to continue that work in us.

Last year, my word was unhurried, and in the fall, with the responsibility of caring for a puppy and some other things that were going on, we decided not to do a lot of extra activities for our kids. We let go of some programs we were part of the prior school year and focused on being at home more and not always rushing around everywhere.

Other Ways to Hold Your Word Close

Besides journal prompts, there are several other ways you can hold your word of the year close to you. Let me share some ideas with you that I often do throughout the year.

• Put a decal of your word on the front of your planner or journal. That way, you see it often and are reminded of it.
• Use your planner to indicate how and when you’ll put your word into practice. For example, I will have a spot in mine to record our family fun nights and 1:1 dates. I’ll also use it to track our cleaning chores.
• Read those books or listen to those podcasts throughout the year. That’s a great way to keep learning and growing in a certain area.
• Art journal a page or two about your word. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy; just something that helps you creatively explore what your word is all about.
• Display a picture or painting in a prominent area of your home that reflects your word of the year.

A Journaling Resource: One Word Journal

Now, as I was preparing for this episode, I actually found a journal specifically for your word of the year. It’s called One Word Journal, by Jon Gordon and Dan Britton. And… I ordered it. I haven’t used it yet, obviously, but previewing it online, I was really impressed with the journal prompts offered there and I think it could be a really great way to hold our word close to us throughout the year.

Do you want to join me in trying it out? If you do, send me an email and let me know you grabbed it, too, and maybe we can check in with each other in a month or two to see how we’re doing. My email address is kari@lovedoesthat.org. And remember, my name is spelled K-A-R-I.

Journal Prompt: How Does a Word of the Year Help You?

You already have a lot of journal prompts given throughout this episode, but the one I want to offer you right now is this: how does a word of the year help you?

Write down how you have seen your life changed based on choosing a word of a year. Be specific. You could make a list of words you’ve chosen and then bullet point the differences or answered prayers. You could describe situations or your process of discerning a major life decision. Think through different areas of your life: physical, emotional, mental, and so on. How were those impacted?

And if you’ve never chosen one before, it’s okay! Maybe write about why not, or what you’re afraid of, or what you might do instead.

Podcast Update and Invitation to Journal Gently

Before I close us in prayer, I want to let you know that in 2024, I am changing my podcasting schedule and will be releasing only two episodes per month. Most of the time, this will fall on the first and third Tuesday, so keep your eyes out for those and be sure to subscribe or follow so you see those when they release.

Also, if journaling is something you want to grow in, the doors to the Journal Gently program are always open. You can start an 8-week journey that can help you create a journaling routine that is right for you in this season of your life, and that helps you talk to God about some of those harder parts of our life journeys. You know, the grief, the trauma, the abuse, the betrayal, the disappointment. Learn more and sign up at lovedoesthat.org/journalgently.

A Prayer:

God, thank You so much for being with us as we begin a new year. It’s a reminder to us that every morning brings fresh mercies and a chance to start again. Guide us as we step into this year with intention. Help us open our hearts and lives to Your transforming power. Do a new work in us, Lord, as we seek to honor You with our actions and words. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

RELATED EPISODES + RESOURCES:

• Book | One Word Journal, by Jon Gordon and Dan Britton

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