At the International Christian Mompreneur Network, we’re not making New Year’s Resolutions. We’re choosing a scripture verse to guide us through the year instead. We’re selecting a verse that speaks to our hearts and offers support, hope or motivation for us to live out the following year with purpose and direction. The following is the first in a series of posts featuring members of the International Christian Mompreneur Network sharing their scripture verse of the year. We pray these posts will inspire and encourage you to select a scripture verse to guide you through the year as well.
“Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35
The first time I decided to choose a Verse of the Year, it was because I felt my New Year’s goal setting process had become too much about MY plans and not at all about God’s plan for me. It was too focused on what I wanted and not who I needed to become. I decided to listen to what God was calling me to do before I set my own intentions for the year. I wanted to spend time in the Word, before I chose a word that would guide me through the year. And I wanted a verse I could come to throughout the year to lean on and pray over. It wasn’t easy at first, but I eventually learned to hear God whisper the verse He chose for me.
Now that I’ve become more comfortable in choosing a verse, I wanted to take this activity to a deeper level. So this year’s verse, John 6:35, gives me the clarity I need to make every day an opportunity to spend time in the Word and listen to God and seek his guidance. John 6:35 teaches me that my spiritual nourishment comes first. That my spiritual growth is not a project – like a bible study or a women’s retreat – but a daily practice rooted in prayer. And that it’s not optional – but rather it is required to sustain me. My spiritual nourishment is more valuable than food and water.
Another message I glean from John 6:35 is that Christ calls us not only to “believe in him” but also to “come to him.” With this in mind, I will come to Christ daily, with all of my joys, worries, questions and requests. Not just when things get rough. Or when I’m expected to pray.
In reading all of John 6, I am both encouraged and convicted by his words. John tells of several miracles Jesus performed and of the disciples who believed in him and the others who have seen the miracles and still did not believe. They deserted him because they could not accept his teachings. I will use this chapter to remind me of the very foundation of my faith – that the nourishment I need is the body and blood of Christ. That if I choose to believe, I too will witness miracles. I choose to be one of the disciples who believes in Jesus and comes to him. I choose NOT to abandon him but rather to rely on his promise of eternal life.
My Word of the Year for 2014: NOURISH
nour·ish
verb
1. to sustain with food or nutriment; supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth.
2. to cherish, foster, keep alive, etc.
3. to strengthen, build up, or promote.
With John 6:35 as the foundation, I’ve chosen the word NOURISH as my focus Word of the Year. It will help me be mindful and purposeful in what I feed my mind, body and spirit. And I’ll strengthen those relationships that matter to me – like my marriage and friendships. I will also foster my dreams and goals – such as publishing a book and traveling with my husband. The word nourish speaks to me on so many levels – allowing me to nourish my faith, my family, my finances and countless other areas of my life.
As a creative entrepreneur, I experience no shortage of ideas or imagination. But when it comes to making things happen, bringing them to fruition…I often fall short. I spend too much time in what Michael Hyatt calls “the messy middle.” So the word NOURISH will give me the strength and direction I need to keep feeding my dreams and goals. To give them a little bit of attention each and every day. To sustain them. To cherish them. To strengthen them.
By the way, just because I’m focusing on the word NOURISH and John 6:35, doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned my scripture Verse or Word from last year or the previous year. I still have so much work to do when it comes to creating UNITY in my life and following the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. And I feel like Matthew 5 has become a life verse for me, so I expect to see my LIGHT shine brighter than ever this year!
What about you? Do you have a Verse of the Year or a Word of the Year to guide you through 2014? I’d love to hear about it!
