Every January, I ask God to give me One Word that He would like me to work on throughout the upcoming year. I’ve been doing this for nearly a decade now. Here’s a look at my words from past years:

2009: HOPE
2010: (I can’t find my word.)
2011: PROSPERITY
2012: REPRODUCTION and MULTIPLICATION (It’s okay to have two words or a phrase.)
2013: EVERYTHING
2014: GOODNESS
2015: FULLNESS
2016: RELATIONSHIP
2017: OBEDIENCE
2018: REMEMBER
2019: JOY

That’s a lot of words! And God is faithful each time to lead me through the year, focusing on the word, while relating with Him.

Here’s what picking a word for the year means for me:

God chooses the word and confirms it via my conversations with Him in prayer. It comes up in Scripture as I read the Bible and listen to sermons on Sunday mornings or attend conferences or church events. I see it on social media. I hear it in conversations. He always, always confirms it.

I write it down. I blog about it. I create art to memorialize it. I journal about it. I keep it in the forefront throughout the year.

I journal about it. I study it. I research it. I define it.

And God works in me and in my life, causing me to learn more about Him and His will for me while I grow in Him.

Sometimes, it’s definitive of the season I’m in or we, as a family, are in. Sometimes I think the word is just for me, and then I find out that it’s actually for the body of Christ as well.

How do I choose my One Word?

Listen to the Lord. Pray. Read the Scripture. He will show you what it is. What word resonates in your spirit? In your heart? That’s probably what He wants to reveal to you in the next twelve months. Write it down.

Does it have to be ONE word?

No. You may hear two words, like I did in 2012. Usually they tie into each other. Or they may be flip opposites. You may hear a phrase instead of a single word. Run with it!

What about Scripture?

Every time the Lord gives me a word for the year, He gives me scripture verses to go with it. It may be a defining verse for the year. It may be a series of verses as I read the Word throughout the year. God will reveal your verses the same way He revealed your word.

My Word for 2020

My word for 2020 is INTENTIONAL. This is a whole lot of word. It’s a big word. A deluxe word. A many-faceted word. It has so many facets, I’ve created a separate Happy Notes transformer planner for it.

(I’ll share the notebook in another post.)

Intentional isn’t a one-area word for my life this year. It’s a word for multiple areas in my life. It covers my personal growth, overcoming various issues I want to attack with God’s guidance, relationships, finances, work, home life … the list goes on and on.

Here’s what it means: it means being intentional in everything I say and everything I do in 2020. I want life to change. I’m tired of being stuck in place in several areas. I want to see a different person in myself, improvement in my relationships all around, and a different lifestyle by the end of this year. And that takes being intentional.

It takes no longer procrastinating. No longer waiting to do something tomorrow because I’m too tired or just really don’t feel like doing it today. It takes making an effort to make the time for those who are important to me. To go on date nights. To plan “off” days with friends. It takes saying no to some things and saying yes to God instead. It takes growing. Focusing. Choosing. Doing.

I’ll be sharing how the word INTENTIONAL affects my life throughout the year, so stop by again.

What word have you chosen for 2020? I’d love to know! Feel free to share in the comments below!