#mywordfor2021

What is my word for 2021? I have been preparing for this word since December 6^th when God gave me my first God wink. I have had several confirmations, but I kept doubting God and His plan. The more I would doubt my word, the more God wink’s I would receive.

My word this year is Refine which can mean the following:

Remove impurities or unwanted elements from.

Improve by making small changes.

To become more fine, elegant, or polished.

My first God wink came from 1 Peter 1:7; “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed”. This verse by itself may not make sense but if you read the surrounding verses 6 & 8 you will understand why. In 2020 I faced trials, yet in the midst of those trials, God was refining me so that I could be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

My second God wink came from my Girlfriends in God devotion by Gwen Smith. She says, “what if God wants to use the strains, stains, and disappointments we face to refine us – restore us – strengthen us – and to draw us to His side of desperation”. This is when I got scared because I do not want to experience anymore strains, stains, and disappointments. I remember asking God, what about the word “peace”, doesn’t that sound much better for me? I had just finished an Elevation Worship podcast called “The Path of Peace”. Steven Furtick said, “It’s not the path to peace, it is the path of peace”, meaning I am not waiting for God’s peace, rather I am walking in it. I was desperately feeling the need to walk into 2021 with God’s peace.

Then my third God wink came from Mark Batterson’s book, “Win the Day”. He encourages us to focus on our inputs rather than our outcomes. For the last three years I have been so focused on achieving my degree (an outcome), maybe it was time to take a look at my inputs, remove any impurities, or unwanted elements as defined by the word refine. I was feeling the need to detox. Not only had I gained 10lbs this last semester, I was also feeling I had gained baggage that I haven’t had time to process and fully unpack.

It was not until my fourth God wink which came from Jamie Thompkin’s book, “There’s No Place Like Home” that I was finally starting to say yes to my word. I had been struggling with giving myself grace and at times giving grace to others. This past year has been hard balancing school, work, family, church, and social. Lately I have found myself asking God every morning for His new mercies and for my co-workers, family, and friends to give me grace for what I have or have not done or where I have messed up or succeeded. Jamie says, “Being graceful not only means poised in the physical sense of the word. It also means being polished by the refiner’s fire. At this point I am asking God, what about the word “grace”, doesn’t that sound much better for me? Then I remembered that grace is already freely given to me. I did not feel a strong need to focus on this throughout the year.

I also like to carry a mantra throughout the year. In Jamie’s book I loved the idea of how she talked about; “Be a fruit bearer”. The scripture referenced comes from Gal 5: 22-24; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”. I remember feeling a big sigh of relief, finally the fluff words I had been searching for. Each of these words by themselves do not sound scary like the word refine. On the flip side, if we think about how as Christians, we should embody all 9 of the fruits, they become more than fluff. They start stepping on toes.

It is settled, I want to be a fruit bearer. I want to take the time to inwardly look at myself so that I embody all 9 fruits throughout the year. I want to be polished by the refiner’s fire.

What word and or mantra are you going to let lead you through 2021? What scripture are you going to cling to and continually meditate on? What ways will you share your word with others?