For over twenty years, I’ve asked God to give me a word to focus on for the upcoming year. Often people want to know how I chose the word, and the answer is, I don’t. God does. I open my heart to Him and seek His guidance. Invariably a certain word will appear any number of times over the next few days. I stop, pray, ask for verification, and if I see that word again, then I know it’s the one the Lord has given me. I then seek that word in Scripture and pay attention to how it is used and what God is saying to me through His Word.
As I prayed about my word for this year, the Lord steered me toward trust. As I look at retirement, I knew I was going to need to put my trust in the Lord as I step away from what is most familiar and comfortable in my daily routine.
This year it came to me that, since I’m adding a word to my life, perhaps it is time I start to eliminate one as well. It didn’t take me long to discover what that word would be: clutter. This was God’s first assignment to me as I retire. It’s time to clean out my closets, my kitchen drawers, and pantry. And, yes, hard as it is to surrender a single skein, even my yarn room.
Perhaps there’s a word in your life that needs to be eliminated. Words like doubt or fear. Words like hurry or distrust. All you need to do is ask, and He will answer.
Father, help me to listen for Your words of wisdom, Your words of guidance.
—Debbie Macomber
