Happy New Year! For many people, January means making New Year’s resolutions....and then breaking them days, weeks, or months later. I used to be one of these people, but five years ago I decided to make a change. Instead of resolutions, I simply picked one word to focus on for the entire year. I saw such positive results, that I have continued selecting a new word each year. Here are my words from previous years: 2015: Obey 2016: Share 2017: Look 2018: Connect 2019: Contentment Looking back, I can see why God put the word “contentment” on my heart last year. He knew it’s something I would struggle with. You see, in 2019, it wasn’t always easy for me to be content with my circumstances. Having this word to focus on, though, reminded me to trust in God’s timing. I began to see that sometimes His protection comes in not answering prayers the way I think He should, because He has something better already planned for me. When thinking about my word to focus on for 2020, one word kept coming to mind. And honestly, it scared me a little, which is why I knew it was the word I was supposed to choose. My word for 2020 is SPEAK. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, for years I felt like I lost my voice. In 2016, I wrote a blog called Break The Silence and since then, God has been restoring my voice. I used to be terrified speaking on a stage in front of others. Now, even though it still requires me to step outside my comfort zone, if God gives me a message to share, I feel a sense of urgency to speak. Sometimes the words are meant to be shared in a blog or with someone one-on-one, and sometimes He nudges me to speak them into a microphone in front of a large group. My desire is to continue to use the voice God gave me to help others. In 2020, I believe God will give me more opportunities to:
What word will you focus on in 2020? To help me focus on my one word, I am having a custom bracelet made from MudLove. Click HERE to create your own bracelet.
2 Comments
Julie Himes
1/3/2020 03:08:27 am
I LOVE your word, Julie - because I truly believe God has gifted you with this incredible ability . . . as I said years ago. He will continue to use you in awesome ways for 2020 as you speak with the boldness,confidence, and discernment that He gives you!
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Julie
1/3/2020 09:55:38 am
Thanks so much, Julie! Sometimes God uses other people (like you), to help us realize the gifts He has given us. Thank you for speaking words of encouragement to me, and to so many others.
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