2024 Word Of The Year

My 2024 WOTY is Flourish!

By definition the word flourish means: to grow vigorously; to reach a desired level of accomplishment; a period of thriving.

When choosing my word of the year, I always try to think about what my previous word was and also what I hope to see for the upcoming year.

Last year my word was Rooted. You can read about that here: My 2023 WOTY

Last year was a year of rooting myself in God's word and growing in my relationship with him. I tried to be more intentional in prayer and spending time in His word. Because of that, I walked out of 2023 feeling more confident in my relationship with God than I did walking into the year (although there is always room to grow more!!)

With that, I looked at what I wanted this year to look like. As a lot of you know our family took a giant leap of faith when we felt God calling us to move back to Arkansas(I'll get into that story more in a later post). We don't know exactly what God has for us this year but we know without a doubt that moving here was the right move and we are excited to see what this year holds. Personally I want to see God grow the callings He has put inside of me, I want to FLOURISH into all that He has called me to be.

Sometimes we can over spiritualize choosing a word of the year. While I believe that God can just drop a word in your heart and it is great to pray and ask God to give you a word, for me this year, choosing my word looks a little more like asking God to remind me of where I have come from and where He is leading me, thinking about the things He has spoken to me now as well as in the past and then dreaming about what I want this year to look like and then simply choosing a word to reflect that.

Of course if you get stuck and just can't seem to come up with a word Dayspring has a great little quiz you can take and then it will generate a word for you based on those answers. If you want to take that quiz you can do so here: Word of the Year Quiz

There is nothing overly spiritual or magical about having a word for the year. Just because you choose a word, even if you feel that God has placed this word in your heart, does not mean things will magically shift to that direction. For some, your word may seem far fetched and may really stretch you....it SHOULD! If I chose a simple word that didn't stretch me then I don't think I would have the opportunity to grow in the areas God wants me to grow in. Your word should be something that pushes you into more!

Simply put, your word of the year is a word to focus on, like a foundation that you will build on throughout the year.

As I start into 2024 my focus will be on the word Flourish and I will be asking God to lead me in ways that flourish and grow me in the callings He has placed in my heart. I will ask him to push me out of my comfort zones so that I can step into more.

I started choosing words every year in 2017 when a friend of mine encouraged me to do it. Now I look forward to choosing a word each year. If this is not something you currently do I encourage you to make this year the year you start!

Happy 2024!! I hope this is a year like no other!!!