“Behold, I am doing a new thing;

Now it springs forth,

Do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

– Isaiah 43:19, ESV

At the beginning of each new year, we work to align ourselves with new goals, new (or remembered) purpose, new changes. For some reason our society has believed that the start of a year is when we can be empowered to make significant changes in our lives. Though I believe that goals can be set anytime of the year, I think it is unwise not to lean into the new of 2021. To embrace necessary changes now more than ever. 

2020 was one of the hardest years our world has faced in a long time. We don’t have to rehash the pain and frustration here, and we need to be careful to assume that 2021 will be a lot better. But there is something that God promises us despite it all— that new things are coming. We can have hope in that. Sometimes the new things seem small, like the gift of a new day regardless of how mundane it is. Sometimes the new things are on a bigger scale, like a new job, a new life in Christ, a move, a new relationship, or a restored relationship. Everyday we get to wake up to a new thing. Are we paying attention? 

Are we noticing how God never leaves, that as surely as the coming of the dawn, he responds (Hosea 6:3)? That he is still moving and wanting to complete the work he began in us. That he is making a way. That he will always make a way. 

Will we partner with him or will we remain in the grief of 2020? 

One of my favorite ways to partner with God at the beginning of each new year is to pick one word that embodies what he wants me to do and who he wants me to be, who I want to be. I love this practice because it sets the tone for the year. It serves as something of an anchor for me, grounding me when the waves are tossing me around. Reminding me of what my mission is, what I need to learn. Even though we are well on our way into January, it is not too late to pick a word for your year. It does not have to be fancy or sound smart. It just needs to be a word. 

When I pick my words, I spend a lot of time in prayer considering what my focus needs to be in a given year. I spend time thinking about the themes of what God was gently teaching me during the previous year. This year my word is “step.” I told you it doesn’t have to be fancy. I chose this word because God kept showing me repeatedly last year that he needed me to step out of the boat and trust him in situations that felt unsafe, uncertain, and scary. And I couldn’t get this word out of my head. 

Is there something God has been trying to teach you that you just can’t get out of your mind? Something he won’t let you ignore? Pick a word. One word that can ground you this year, that serves as a mission statement in itself, that reminds you of your purpose. 

Here are some examples of words to get you started: