Delight.

I’ve heard people talk about having a word for the year, but that’s not something I’ve ever really thought about or done. But 2020 makes ya rethink some things.

So I sat down and thought about what I wanted 2021 to look like. What do I want it to be full of? What do I want to do different?

If you know much about me then you probably know I tend to be a rather anxious person and it became amplified in grad school… and then we threw a cherry on top with a worldwide pandemic.

I don’t like the unknown. I especially don’t like what I can’t control, so 2020 felt like I was grasping for a life raft that wasn’t in sight.

Looking back on the year, I realized often I was grasping for something or someone around me to save me but what I really needed to do was look up. Look to my Father. Ask for peace. Remember He’s in control.

But that’s not a natural instinct, well at least for me it isn’t. It isn’t natural for us to choose Jesus first. We are overstimulated by our environment and our world. It’s easy to get distracted, but this year I’m working on choosing Jesus first.

Each year, I set the same number of goals as my age, so this year I set 24. But then I changed the wording. I didn’t want to set goals because who knows what will happen in 2021? Some of the goals I set may not be attainable because of miss rona. So instead I set hopes for this year.

And one of my hopes for this year is that I wake up every morning and pray before I do anything else. Nothing spectacular, just a few words like, “Thank You God for this day, let it be Yours.”

I started doing that on Jan. 1. It hasn’t been perfect, but it has shifted something in me.

Waking up and choosing Jesus first reminds me of His power, His mercy, His love. I’m here for a purpose.

You’re here for a purpose too.

Delight. That’s the word that came to me for this year.

delight: to give keen enjoyment.

I want to delight in the year the Lord gives me. That doesn’t mean it won’t be hard. It just means I’m working on acknowledging the pain that inevitably comes and meeting it with the love God exudes. And in turn, I’m seeing the joy of my life and the purpose God has called me to.

What’s your word for the year? What’s your hope as 2021 begins?

xo,

msv