“In the beginning was the Word…” John 1 begins this way. Words are important. In my faith, God spoke, with words, the world into existence. Jesus is the Word and he was with God in the beginning. Although communication over ninety percent nonverbal, words are the primary way we send intentional messages to others. They guide us, bounce around in our heads, define so much of our existence. Words can tear someone down or make that same person’s day. They are powerful.
That is why I find it valuable to pick a word of the year. The years that I have done this I have seen God do amazing things in and through the words that He gave me to claim and speak over my life. Deciding on this word always begins with prayer. Two years ago, my word was faithful. This applied not only to being faithful in the roles and responsibilities that I had on my plate at the time, but also seeking God’s faithfulness. Oh how that reminder to look for His faithfulness opened my eyes to so much of what God was doing in my life at the time. There’s power in resting in truth that the Lord gives us. It helps us combat lies that deter and distract from the richness of His beauty and path for us. That’s what a word from the Lord for the year has done in my life.
This year, I realized I hadn’t sought what that word should be until well into January. I thought it would be a good idea to share this tradition with my family. Typically, I like to find one that can apply to our family as a whole, but I thought it would be valuable to see what the Lord gave each of their hearts as well. So we all prayed together the other night and asked that the Lord gift us a word of truth or focus for the year. It was a moment of beauty to see their little hearts soften to the truth God bestowed upon each of them. My children’s words were “grateful, miraculous, and diligent.” These were beyond what I would have chosen for them and exactly what their hearts needed in the moment and in regards to the seasons each of them are walking through.
When I prayed, I was expecting a word like growth, or joy or something, but I got integrity/integrous/integration. That didn’t sound like a very exciting focus for the year. I often get surprised how the Lord speaks to my heart, but I knew there had to be purpose in it, so I looked up its roots.
Integrity means the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, or moral uprightness. It also means the state of being whole and undivided. It comes from the latin words “integrare” which means to make whole, also renew or begin again and the latin “integratio” which means renewal, restoration. Another definition said “the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction. Internal consistency or lack of corruption in electronic data.”
It all came together for me reading through my word’s definitions and praying over them as I did so. What a beautiful hope and prayer to speak over this year, one of renewal, restoration, unimpaired, unified, sound in construction. This is so applicable now that I further understand its definition to the season of life we are in of building a home for our family, beginning a new chapter on our property and the crucial need to be unified through all of these transitions. I’m sure there will be more than my current understanding that will apply to this focus for my life and family in 2023. Thank you Lord for your Word!