Ah, the new year. A new chance to set things right. To focus. To decide what’s important. To make a difference. There is something about the possibility of a fresh calendar that is just exciting. I know, I know, you don’t have to wait until a certain day to decide to make any changes in your life, but the symbolism of the new year makes it so easy to do! As I look at 2023, there is so much I hope for, so much I worry about, and so much that I am realizing I have zero control over.
I haven’t made resolutions in years (let’s be honest, I never kept them), but for the last many many years, I have picked a word to guide me and shape my year. Last year, my word was SOFT. I wanted to be reminded daily that I didn’t want this world to make me hard-hearted. I wanted to be malleable and flexible. I wanted to be a comfortable, safe place for the hurting to land. And, for the most part, it was a really good word. It helped me set my mind toward the things I wanted to get out of 2022. And, even though 2022 was really hard in some big ways, it was also a time for me to lean into being the kind of person that isn’t hardened by a hard world.
So, for 2023, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m supposed to learn this year. I’ve been thinking about what challenges will come, and how I will react to them. I’ve been thinking about my walk with Christ and where I’d like it to be at this time next year. I’ve been thinking about a lot (I’m an introvert, it’s my nature). And, I’ve decided my word for 2023 is: PRESENT. I am someone who, by my very nature, worries a lot. I think about what’s next and what could be, and I miss the living here and now. I spend so much time scared about what could be that I miss the glorious PRESENT. So, this year, I’m focusing on living life one day, one moment, one experience at a time.
Do you pick a word for the year? What is yours?