The Stay Fit Mom community is a special place. Over the years we have watched woman after woman transform their nutrition and their lives through learning, commitment, hard work, sacrifice, and discipline. If you’ve landed here, we already know a few things about you. You set goals and approach them systematically. While we offer practical goal-setting content (read HERE) to help as you move into the New Year, today I want to share a broader strategy: choosing a Word of the Year. This approach has helped me greatly. If you want an alternative to typical New Year’s resolutions, I’ll share a bit of my own story and some steps to help you pick your own Word of the Year.
Last December a friend from my Bible study invited me to a small gathering and gave us homework: pray for a word and a verse God might place on our hearts for the coming year. At first I scoffed. I wasn’t convinced God would reveal a single word—or a verse—specifically for me. I even thought the idea sounded a little cheesy. Still, I’m a rule follower, so I prayed consistently for a few weeks. I didn’t let the concept consume me; I was fine showing up without a word if nothing came. Each morning during my quiet time I spent a few minutes in prayer and then carried on with my day.
As the weeks passed, a particular word began to appear everywhere: in scripture, in sermons, in conversations and in the music I listened to. By the night of the gathering I arrived not only with a word and a verse but with awe that God had answered my request despite my reluctance.
My word and verse for the year of 2022,
“Believe”
For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37
Just as I announced my word, the chorus of Josh Groban’s “Believe” played in the background—proof, as it felt, that God has a sense of humor. “Believe” wasn’t the word I would have chosen for myself. It felt light, almost playful, and didn’t involve me “doing” or “going,” which suits my go-getter personality. Still, 2022 became a year of God doing the impossible for our family. My own disbelief met repeated, tangible miracles. When times were hardest, remembering this personally given Word of the Year brought comfort, hope, and awe.
That year my husband retired from his pharmacy career and we were baptized on the same day—timing only God could have orchestrated. We witnessed answers to prayers for healing. We celebrated a miraculous turn for a friend who had struggled with infertility. We saw a marriage on the verge of divorce restored. Even in our deepest grief—when Coach Courtney’s baby Lola died—I found that the word “believe” helped me trust that God could redeem pain and use it for good as we hoped to meet Lola again in heaven.
This year I didn’t have another Word of the Year party, but I wasn’t going into 2023 without asking if God had a new word for me. I waited expectantly.
My word and verse for the year of 2023,
“Focus”
Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. Proverbs 4:25-27
In 2023 God will have a big chance to show up, because I am prone to distraction. I flit from activity to activity like my six-year-old. Distraction has kept me from progress in several areas, so this year is an invitation to yield to God for renewed vision, purpose, and commitment. That will mean saying more “no”s, but it will also bring clearer direction and steadier momentum.
If you want to try a new kind of New Year’s practice, here are a few practical steps you can take to discover your own Word of the Year:
- Pray. Spend a few quiet moments each day this week asking God to reveal a word for the coming year.
- Reflect. Review the past year and ask honest questions: Where did I struggle? What would I like more of, or less of? What character traits do I want to grow? Where do I need hope?
- Listen and wait. Don’t rush to pick a word. Sit with your reflections and let clarity come. In my experience, God often provides several confirming moments.
- Write it down. Highlight your word, print it, place it where you’ll see it regularly.
You may not remember your word every single day, but it can become a gentle, powerful way to notice God’s movement in your life.
“Never forget in the dark what God has shown you in the light.” – Author Unknown