Word of the year: Thrive

To progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances; to flourish

Friends, if you have journeyed with me through 2015, you know that it was a tougher year. I felt restless, sat in the clouds, contemplated what was next, dealt with failed IUI cycles, and another miscarriage. (Don’t get me wrong, there were some really great parts of 2015 too – I love the many special memories that were created last year. Those joys brought a lot of healing to my struggling heart.)

My word last year was ‘intentional‘ and I had no idea that the year would be spent intentionally trying to be okay with being out of control and uncertain for the future. This word popped up throughout the year in powerful ways for me and I felt like despite the hard, I made a lot of growth in this area. I thought through things more, my actions, my schedule. I was more planful instead of simply being reactive and responsive. God knew what He was doing when He put that word on my heart.

Now this year, I’m focusing on thriving. I ran across these verses from Jeremiah a few weeks ago and knew this was it, my verse for the year, my word for the year:

“Thanksgivings will pour out of the windows; laughter will spill through the doors. Things will get better and better. Depression days are over. They’ll thrive, they’ll flourish … And that’s it: You’ll be my very own people, I’ll be your very own God.’” (Jeremiah 30:19, 22 MSG)

After reading this, I felt like God was nudging me towards a year of progressing forward. I want to flourish. I want laughter to spill through the doors, regardless of the circumstances. I want gratitude to pour from the windows. I don’t want to be in a funk. I want to live in the reality that no matter what I am His and He is my very own God. My very own God.

I had this saved from a few years back and love it even more than I did then, if that’s possible:

“You were meant to do more than just survive. You were meant to thrive. You were not meant to struggle to make it through the week.  You were not meant to be shackled by anxiety, worry, and fear. No, you were meant for so much more. You were meant to live life and to have it more abundantly. That is the promise of the eternal God. You were meant to dig deep and reach out. You were meant to know God and make Him known. Surviving is for those who have no hope. That’s not you – not if you’re God’s child, you were meant to thrive.

It’s a simple concept.  To thrive, we must:

Dig deep into the roots of our relationship with Jesus. This helps us understand who God is and who we are in him. We dig in to know God.

Reach out to others. This helps us to show the world that we belong to Jesus and that Jesus is God. We reach out to make God known.” (source: Casting Crowns)

So here’s to thriving in 2016. Here’s to digging in deep and reaching out wide. Here’s to being bold in sharing Him, to living with purpose, to embracing everything that comes my way and to not just spend the year surviving. I want dirt. I want grit. I want passion. I want Him.

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Your turn! What’s your word of the year? Do you have something you are working on or something you are focusing on for 2016? I would love to hear it! Or do you maybe need some ideas? One Word 365 has some great ideas to inspire you! It’s definitely not too late to pick one and run with it! In fact, make February 1^st your starting date! Think about it, pray about it, embrace it. Then get up and start!