What's Your “Word” for 2017?

Perhaps you’re already hunkered down for the weekend, preparing for snow. Here in Georgia, our Governor declared a State of Emergency 24 hours before the first flake was scheduled to fall. The grocery store shelves look like they have been attacked by swarms of locusts.
 
Lots of anticipation and preparation for what might happen in the days ahead. That’s almost reflexive.
 
But what are you anticipating and preparing for in your life in 2017? Good things or just another year of survival?
 
I’m a firm believer in casting a vision for the days ahead. Of having a clear picture of life as you would like it to be. No, that vision doesn’t always come to pass, but without it, things likely won’t change much.
 
Just as an architect creates a building in his head before beginning to draw a plan or a sculptor pictures what a piece of marble can become before she begins carving, our dream of the future is the first step toward creating a beautiful life.
 
One way to create that vision is by selecting a theme word for the year. Have you ever done that and then been intentional about living it out throughout the year? Why not give it a try in 2017?
 
Several friends have recently shared their “words” with me. The mother of a bride-to-be has selected “joy.” A widow who is rebuilding her life chose “victory.” A millennial with an uncertain future picked the word “peace.”
 
And my word, my theme, for 2017?
 
Savor.
 
What does that mean? I want to fully enjoy the gift of each new day. To cherish the special people and loving relationships that God has put in my life. To open my eyes to see the beauty in nature, in music, in art. To live fully present and grateful for even the mundane aspects of life.

Maybe it’s because I celebrated a milestone birthday this year and I’m very aware of the brevity of life.
 
Maybe it’s because I find myself rushing from day to day and often miss the joy in the journey.
 
Maybe it’s because my dear dad was legally blind for the last 20 years of his life, and I realized how much he missed seeing a loved one’s smile or an exquisite flower.
 
(And perhaps it’s also because I’m impatiently counting the days until my July wedding, yet don’t want to wish my life away!)
 
“Savor” means I want to be fully present and fully grateful for the details of each new day.
 
I think it’s also how God calls us to live: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
 
My goal is to be intentional about savoring all that life brings throughout this coming year.
 
How about you? Why not ask God for a special word to guide you through 2017? I’d love to hear what you select and how you weave that theme into your life in the days ahead.