One Little Word That Will Teach…Gather
Are you a goal-setter?
A List Maker?
A reflect-back-over-the-year person?
None of that comes naturally to me. Well, except for the reflecting part. I do like to try to learn from my experiences and the only way to do that is to take the time to evaluate what worked and what didn’t.
In general, I’m a BLUE personality type who is more prone to flying by the seat of my pants. I’m drawn to the “shiny thing over there” and o flitter from one new idea to the next. I’m often strong on big ideas and much weaker on the follow through. Add to those things an 
unhealthy dose of procrastination, and I have found myself in more than my share of stressful situations –situations of my own making.
Often I am my own worst enemy.
After 40 years of marriage to a type A achiever and being in ministry for 6 years with Debbie who is also one, I worry that they both have wanted to wring my neck…multiple times.
I apologize, husband. I’m sorry, friend.
I’m really trying to do better this year. I’m using a bullet journal. I have made a massive spreadsheet for my blog. I am keeping a running To-Do List and setting timers on my phone instead of hoping I remember to do things.
And once again, I’ve chosen MY One Little Word for 2017. My word for this year is ……..
GATHER…….
- to come together; assemble or accumulate.
- to bring together and take in from scatter places or sources.
- to infer or understand.
- to summon up (a mental or physical attribute such as one’s thoughts or strength) for a purpose
Synonyms: congregate, assemble, meet, collect, get together, understand, conclude, accumulate, muster
I’ve also heard of people choosing a Bible verse or even a hymn. I love all those ideas, too, but for this year, I’m sticking with a word.
So, I asked the Father to give me a word to focus on for 365 days. It has amazed me how many different ways my past words have shown up in my life. I’ve used them many times to help me make decisions and choices,
and the practice has enhanced my life.
My words from previous years have been : Do You Do?, Learn, One Little Word…Joy, Free
God has used these words to grow me and loosen me up and change the way I look at the world. Becoming very personal, these words and their lessons will always be special to me.
I thoroughly intended to blog along the way last year about my journey towards being more”Free”, but it turned out to be just too personal to share on the World Wide Web. I’d be glad to tell you about it in person though. It was wonderfully difficult, if you know what I mean.
Mental jumping up and down is happening over here! I WANT TO KNOW what Your word for 2017 is. Click the comments and tell us! You would be surprised how you could encourage all of us. Would you share?
Persistence
That’s a good one, Lynda! I’m curious if you have a specific situation in mind or if this is just something in general that you wish to cultivate. Hope you guys are doing well!
I LOVE your word, and your words…I haven’t’ picked one, but the word connect or connection has been on my heart lately. Which is kind of similar to your word, gather 😊 I have already started opening my home more, this first week of January…I need to be more intentional. Thanks for sharing your heart!
Hello, Katherine! So nice to meet you here as well as on Instagram. I love your word “connect” and agree it is similar to “gather”. There are so many possibilities with both of them. HOSPITALITY for sure. Good for you for opening your home to others. It is definitely worth the little extra work to have company, isn’t it? And I think people are longing for that kind of relationship with others. Have a great week!
Finish – This year, my goal is to finish those things on my to-do list, to finish those “paused” projects, to finish going through my parents’ things, to finish going through craft items and to “use or lose” them, etc.
Debbie-I think “finish” is a fantastic word and it sounds like you have a long list of things you want to! I just have to tell you that I think you are a fascinating person. Why don’t we meet for coffee sometime?
What a great word for this year! I love it. I’m also more of a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl so i’m not always the best at planning ahead of time.
My word if the year is prioritize because I also tend to get fixated on the things that don’t matter that much over the things that do and that often leads me into a frenzy, too.
Good luck on your word of the year and cheers to 2017!
Leslie-It sounds like we are very much alike. Prioritize is a great word. Can’t wait to see what it all means for you! Good luck as you try to sift the important from the less important.
Such a great word to focus on for the year!
Thank you, Jennifer! Do you have a word of the year? If you have never tried it, I think you should! Have a great week!
Joy. That three letter word is strong, bright, and filled with hope. Whatever 2017 brings my way, I want to face it with Joy. Reminding myself to have the strength to walk it out.
Lori-I love the word “JOY”, too, and the fact that as believers, we get ours from Holy Spirit. Doesn’t that just amaze you? It sure does me. You can do it because He will do it for you! Thanks so much for sharing your word with us.
Believe is my go to word
Has been for several years now and it seems to work for me!
Sandy-I love the idea of using the same word for multiple years! So many ways The WORD use “words”. Have a great week!
Susan – So happy you stopped by my, long ago, November post to share with me that you have moved to this lovely new site! Looking forward to connecting once again. Gather is a great word – worthy of two years for sure. Happy New Year!
Hello, Mindy! I’m so glad to see you here and look forward to catching up. Hope everything is fine in California and you got some much needed rain! Did you need rain? Lol! Did you ever get started with essential oils? I think that you are right that Gather could go for multiple years! Also, are you on Instagram?
Hi Susan! Your new blog looks great! I hope you’re getting settled and used to WordPress.
My word for 2017 is ‘now’, and I write about it in next weeks post. I like the idea of having a theme for the year, and I hope that ‘gather’ is one of your best words yet.
Blessings,
Ceil
Ceil-So nice to see hear from you again! Thank you for your kind words about my blog. It has been a learning curve for sure, but I’m so proud that I installed my first plug in today all on my own! Lol! Any tips for a WordPress newby? I love your word and will look forward to reading your post about it. Have a blessed day, Ceil!
My word is BOLD. Which scares me a bit! 🙂 Honestly, I feel the Lord calling me to the tough conversations and to authenticity. Love you and your blog friend! xo
Sue-I think “Bold” is perfect for you. Now that you have your podcast, you have the opportunity to spread the gospel in a new and big way. I’m so proud of you! Love you, too, friend! Be brave, girl!