Holiness in our midst – Session 29
SESSION XXIX: ON A WORD-FOR-THE-YEAR
Have you thought of choosing a word to help guide you each day of the New Year?
A couple of years ago, author Debbie Macomber advanced the idea in a January issue of Guideposts magazine. At the beginning of each year she chooses a word, one appropriate to her challenges on the horizon. I took her up on the challenge last year and appropriated the word “courage” as I developed my writing voice and tackled home projects I had put off for years.
I thought of the exercise of choosing a word as a challenge primarily for my spiritual life. But recently I learned that the health and fitness community has been encouraging the concept of a daily word-for-the-year, such as “vitality,” “health,” or “moderation” to keep resolution-makers on track.
The word that seems to call loudest to me this year is “portion.” It encompasses both the spiritual and physical areas of life. These are my daily questions will keep on the path toward wholeness:
- Am I keeping an eye on healthy portion sizes as I make food choices?
- Am I celebrating what I have as my portion? Or am I coveting things/relationships that better serve others?
- Am I using my gifts to add light, life and order to address a portion of the world’s turmoil?
- Am I living so everyone around me has a fair portion of goods and services?
What is your word for this year?
STORY CIRCLE QUESTION: What word might guide you in the New Year?
FOR PERSONAL/JOURNAL REFLECTION:
- Read the above reflection aloud.
- Write a journal reflection your word-of-the-year. How did you choose it? What drew you to it?
FOR GROUP STUDY:
- Read aloud Session XXIX.
- Ask each person to answer the Story Circle Question.