For the last few years, I have asked God at the start of January for a word for the year and a verse to go along with it. Those become the focus for my year, and I (often) try to keep them in mind as the months progress. It’s often fascinating to look back over the year and see how God has worked within the theme for the year. (Last year, I completely lost sight of the word and had to look in my old journal to even remember what it was, so I’m afraid I may not have seen or achieved all the “release” that could have happened. But there were definitely some things God did that fit that word too.)
I spent time over the weekend praying about my word for this year, and I ended up with two which I believe are connected: hope and light. As these two words came to mind I was reminded of a quote a friend sent me a couple of years ago. I believe it’s from Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors. Because it’s the lock screen image for both my phone and tablet, it’s a quote I see every day, multiple times a day, and yet I rarely read it anymore.
The quote (as sent to me) reads: “My hope is a flickering flame that has weathered wind and storm. Somehow, God will not allow it to be completely blown out. Somewhere deep inside me, He has placed the audacity to hope, the daring to believe that this time, things could be different. It is an awkward dance, knowing that He might say no and that I could still trust in the mystery of His plan. It is blind and it is trusting and it is intimate. Although everything tells me to guard my heart from being disappointed, I won’t give way to resignation. In this way, hope is my great offering to Him. It is a meager offering, but it is all I have.”
In recent months, I’ve dropped some of the hope I’d held on to for things I believe God has spoken. As the waiting has dragged on, I’ve lost hope and locked the rooms in my heart where those words reside.
Now, I sense it is time to unlock those doors and allow hope to live again. As that hope is rekindled and becomes that flickering flame once again, I believe it will be a light for others.
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise” Hebrews 10:23 (NLT).
“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds [and hope] shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father” Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT).
As a side note, the name of my guitar means “light,” so I’m believing that music will be part of bringing light to others as well.
Do you have a word for 2021? I’d love to hear about it!
