Words will play a vital role in 2018. You will hear them, read them, write them, speak them. You will use them to demonstrate love, concern, instruction, and even anger. You will utilize their power to help form and strengthen relationships. You will call upon them to encourage you and to help you encourage others.

Words matter.

Perhaps that’s one reason that for more years than I can count now, I have chosen a “Word of the Year” prior to the start of the calendar year. It’s a word that I draw from throughout the year to keep me on track, to help me make purposeful choices, and to cling to when the words around me are calling more loudly than the desires within me. Choosing a Bible verse to memorize and to embed in my heart helps to strengthen my resolve to live out and find strength from that year’s word. It reminds me that everything I do should draw me closer to the God Whose Word is a “lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV).

Recent years have focused on words like deliberate, hope, and abundance. Last year, Joe joined me in this annual ritual, and we chose the word serve.

This year’s word? Wisdom.

This year’s verse? “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, KJV). (The photo in this post is one that I easily created on picmonkey.com and that I printed as a 20 x 30 photo and framed for our wall…for Joe’s Christmas present!)

We are asking God to help us remember that every day and every choice matter. Our desire is to use wisdom spiritually, emotionally, financially, physically, and socially in 2018.

We’d love to know what word you’ve chosen for 2018. Feel free to leave a comment (or send a reply if you’re a subscriber) and share it!

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go do my first daily reading from our new devotional book, Petals of Promises. (And yes, we are truly using this as our devotional book this year!)

Happy New Year from the Hendersons!

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