How I Find My Word of the Year

I’m cool with the inaudible nudges. They work for me.

At the beginning of every year, I like to ask God for a word.

A word I can cling to for the next 365ish days.

A word that will hold special meaning for that year.

This word is not always fun or easy or sparkly—sometimes it’s the word I would have picked last—but it is always the word I need.

It is a word that I find God in for that year, a word that always pops up as a redirect, a reminder, or just a comfort that God is with me.

But how do I choose this word? Or, to be more accurate, how do I find it? Because for me personally, I don’t choose it. I’ve always felt as though the word has been given to me.

At the end of each year I will start asking the question, what is my word?

I will write that question down. I will pray on it. I will think about it constantly.

What is my word? Show me my word. Make it stand out.

I have never been someone who audibly hears the word given to me. Throughout my life of faith, I have never had that moment of physically hearing God’s voice. And I like to think that’s because He knows I’d probably be spooked. I’d probably think someone was behind me. I’d probably lean into all of the true crime podcasts I’ve listened to and think his voice was actually that of a serial killer hiding in my closet.

So at this point, I’m cool with the external silence. I’m cool with the inaudible nudges. They work for me. And every year, as I continue to pray this question, I start to see a word take shape. It starts popping up in random places. It is repeated or bolded or written in gigantic letters. There is something about the word that just feels different.

You know that feeling you get when you read a quote, or hear advice from a friend, something that makes you go oh, even if you can’t explain way? It feels a little bit like that. And once I get a feeling about a word, I’ll pray on it, asking for clarity, for more repetition, more boldness, more assurance that yes, this is your word.

Last year, my word was peace.

The first nudge I got was in the weekly bulletin from my church. At the top, there was a Bible verse.

As you can see, the word “peace” is bolded and italicized.

It stands out.

When I read the verse, I felt my stomach flip over. It was that feeling of this might be it!!

That same night, I went over to my parents’ house. We had dinner with my aunt, uncle, and grandpa. At one point, I walked down the hall to use the bathroom. There was a candle burning and I loved the way it smelled, so I bent down to see the name of it.

Peace.

At church that weekend, a woman came up and wished me a happy new year. I wished her the same.

“Aren’t we lucky?” she said, “that we have a God that can give us such peace.”

Peace peace peace peace.

It echoed all around me and I knew.

This year, as I pray for my word, I’m hoping for the same kind of clarity.

My word of the year always acts as a guiding light and a leading conviction. It points me in directions I might not otherwise have gone, and it shows up in the strangest places to remind me that I’m not alone and that God is in control.

If you hope to find a word this year, I pray you find that clarity, that assurance, and I pray that word guides you and heals you and strengthens your faith.

The beginning of a new year can be exciting, but it can also be scary. There is so much unknown, and it’s overwhelming to think that, this time next year, you will know it all.

So I pray that you will find a companion through this year, that a word might keep you company through all the ups and downs, giving you hope and guidance and the courage to keep going.