What is a Word of the Year and How to Choose Yours

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Summary

Learn what a Word of the Year is , how to choose your word, and how to implement the Word of the Year practice into your year!

Podcast Transcript

Intro

Hi friend, I’m Brigette Henry. And you’re listening to the One Spiritual Journey podcast where I share stories from my spiritual journey and teach you how to walk closer with God on your spiritual journey. I’m so glad you’re here because that means you want a deeper relationship with God. In Colossians 1:28, Paul says,

“We proclaim Him warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

And that’s my goal for this ministry: to help present you mature in Christ. So, grab your coffee, or your tea if you’re a tea addict like me, and let’s dive into today’s topic.

Bonus Episode

Welcome this bonus episode of the One Spiritual Journey podcast. I’m Brigette, and today I want to talk about what a Word of the Year is and how to choose yours. Now, today is not a step-by-step guide on how to choose a Word of the Year. If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide, you can go to brigettehenry.com/wordoftheyear. That link is in the show notes, and there you will find the Word of the Year workbook, which is like a 5-day exercise on picking your Word of the Year.

Today though, I want to focus on talking about what a Word of the Year practice is and why you should do it.

What Is a Word of the Year?

So, what is a Word of the Year? This is a practice where you choose a Word of the Year to focus on. It’s usually something you want to learn, something you want more of, something you want less of, etc. For example, you could choose the word “simple”. And maybe you choose the word “simple” because you want to declutter your house, you want to have less stuff, you want to be less busy, you want to have less stress, etc. You know kind of declutter your schedule and your calendar too.

Basically a Word of the Year is like a goal. But, specifically, that goal is spiritual. Because a Word of the Year practice is really about our relationship with God. We can work on some material things, like clearing the clutter out of our house, and things like that. But ultimately, the Word of the Year practice is about our relationship with God.

An Invitation, not a Manifestation

So there are three things I want to share with you today; three things a Word of the Year is and isn’t.

And the first one is: a Word of the Year is not a manifestation, it is an invitation.

We are not manifesting health, wealth or happiness. We are not wishing something into being or manipulating the cosmos. Choosing a Word of the Year is an invitation for God to move in your life and teach you something new.

And if I’m honest, that is not always pleasant. As I’m recording this, it is December, and around this time of year, you always see women on Instagram with cute Word of the Year signs. And like, I have those too. There’s nothing wrong with having them. But it kind of makes the Word of the Year practice look like this really cute little thing. But choosing a Word of the Year is an invitation for God to move.

So we’re not trying to wish or force something into being. What we’re doing is choosing a word as a way for God to come in and move in our lives. And we’ll talk about that more in this next point.

Timeless, not Time-Bound

Which is: a Word of the Year is not time-bound, it is timeless.

A word is just a word. It has no power. I think we need to just say that and get that out of the way. But your decision to engage in this practice means you’re inviting God to move in your life, and that has impact beyond this year. I get that it is called a “Word of the Year”, and that you pick a new one every year. But the impact of my Word of the Year has never been limited to only that year. God has continued to use past words to teach and encourage me.

So, for example, my word for 2023 was “intentional”. And right now I’m in a season where I’m learning to be very intentional with my time and my energy. The things He taught me last year, and also the things that I missed that He tried to teach me that I refused to learn, those things are still growing in me now. And as I’m in this season of learning in new ways how to be intentional, the lessons that I learned last year when “intentional” was my Word of the Year, are becoming more applicable to me now. And so, God is still growing me through that year.

My 2025 Word

I also want to point out that there is some weird overlap in your Word of the Year. So, for example, a few months ago, God gave me the word “sufficient” and just said, “that’s your word for 2025.” I had absolute certainty in my heart and my mind that was my word for 2025. And I was like, “God, 2024 is not over yet.” And He was like, “yeah, well, we’re starting this journey now.” I was like, “Okay…”. I wish He had picked a different word! But “sufficient” it is! And He has been showing me how that word shows up in scripture, and in circumstances in my life, and songs keep popping into my head that remind me of the sufficiency of God and of His grace. I’m just remembering moment-by-moment that what I have from Him is sufficient. He is preparing the way for that word to change me. And it is a little scary, but it’s good.

Because, like I said, choosing a Word of the Year is opening the doors. It’s an invitation for God to work and move in your life. So, if you are not yet at the end of year, but you’re already feeling God tugging on your heart and drawing you towards a certain word, you can start engaging with that word now! Don’t tell God, “we’ll wait”, engage with that word now. I still tell people “trust” is my word for 2024, but God is already working on my heart for 2025. He’s already in the works. And I hope as I enter 2025, that my word “trust” and my past words are still with me and I’m still learning through them. Just like He’s still teaching me through the word I chose in 2023.

Submission, not Putting God in a Box

Lastly, a Word of the Year is not putting God in a box, it is submission to God.

Nothing can put God in a box. He is going to move how He wants. But He does invite us into relationship with Him, and He invites us to experience a unique spiritual journey with Him that is different than other spiritual journeys. And we can choose whether we are going to engage with Him or not. Like I mentioned a minute ago, there are things that I didn’t learn last year when my word was “intentional” because I didn’t like what God was teaching me. And I just kind of didn’t engage.

It’s Not About the Word

We get to choose whether we’re going to engage with Him or not. And if you walk into this practice and tell God He has to go sit in the the corner, you will get NOTHING out of this practice. This practice is not a way to tell God where He can and cannot move in your life. It’s a choice to submit to whatever God has planned.

The word you choose is really just like a compass, to help you navigate the things you’re learning. This past year, in 2024, my word was “trust”. And I spent the first four months living in a basement, praying that my house would sell because God told us it was time to move. Because my word was “trust”, I clung to scripture and believed what the Bible says about God; that He is worthy of my trust.

Now, if my Word of the Year hadn’t been “trust”, it probably would have been “hope” or “believe”, or something that still would have anchored me in scripture and still would have led me to trust God. You are not choosing a word; you are choosing how you are going to let God move in your life. It didn’t matter whether or not my word this past year was “trust”. It could have been anything. As long as I submitted to God in what He was teaching me, I still would have grown. I still would have learned what He intended me to learn. The word is not as important as where God is leading you.

It’s All About Submission

Now, if God has given you a specific word like He gave me, your submission starts with claiming that word. You can choose a different word. You can disobey and choose a different word and believe that God will move anyway. But God is calling us to submission; to following His direction. It’s all about submission. I know that’s a tough word. But it is all about submission to God. And there’s no better word to describe that part of our relationship with Him. Just remember that a life with God is unimaginably better than a life without Him.

So, things hurt for a season. But God is constant, and He is good, and the choice to follow Him and submit to Him is worth it. So do hard things. Choose the hard word that God has given you, and He will use this practice to change your life if you let Him. I know that He has definitely changed mine through it.

How to Choose A Word of the Year

So, how do you choose a Word of the Year? You pick one. I think there’s a lot of panic about choosing the “right word”, but the only way you can get this wrong is if you 100% believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has one specific word for you and you intentionally choose a different one. Direct disobedience is the only way that you get this wrong. So take the pressure off of yourself. Stop worrying that you’re going to choose the wrong word. Or that you’re going to choose a word that’s going to make your life difficult. Having a Word of the Year just helps you become more aware of how God is moving in your life and moving in you. It’s just a compass; it’s just an anchor, so just pick a word. You really can’t choose wrong.

A Few Last Things

Now, if you want to choose a Word of the Year, and you’re not sure how to get started, I have that 5-day, step-by-step guide to choosing your word. You can get that for free at brigettehenry.com/wordoftheyear. Again, that link is in the show notes.

Now, if you’re listening to this and the new year has already started, don’t panic. Again, these things are not time-bound, so feel free to pick up this practice at any time of the year. Don’t panic if you’re listening to this on January 2nd. You still have time. This is not time-bound.

If you’re new to me and my ministry, my goal is to present women mature in Christ. That comes straight out of Colossians 1:28. I do that by creating resources and content that is encouraging, and that helps women grow spiritually. If that’s something you’re interested in, you can follow my podcast, subscribe to my email newsletter, and you can follow me on Instagram. All of those links are in the show notes.

I hope you have a blessed holiday season and you get time to rest and sit in God’s presence. I will be back in the new year with all kinds of content to help you grow spiritually so you can become a mature woman of God.