It is that time of the year where we chose our One Little Word (OLW). For the past two years I have participated in OLW. I start to think, and pray, about my OLW around my birthday in October. I pray for the word that God wants me to focus on and create a habit in my relationship with Him. To me, after the year is over, I don’t let go of the word, I have created a habit by this point and I just add on another word to be the focus the following year. That is my take on Alli’s One Little Word. The past two years I have done this, and let me tell you, my life has been impacted in such a way that I am eager to start a new one. For 2018, my OLW is:
JOY
Before I get into the details about this word, let’s take a trip down memory lane. The first year I participated, 2016, my word was Submit. Looking back, that year was one of the hardest years I have had, and I don’t regret it. 2016 was a year of stretching for me. I submitted to God and what He had in store for me. I was very purposeful in submitting to Him in everything I did. In 2016 I committed to full-time school, including summer. I also started working two jobs which became a full-time job. On top of this, I was still a wife, daughter, and Doggy mom. When submitting to God, it became very clear that I needed to let go of some fears that I had, if I wanted to grow an even deeper relationship with Him.
For 2017 my word was Fearless. This year I let go of many fears. This is something I am and probably will be working on God with for a while, because I am human, but there was a big improvement. I am fearless when I know something is coming from God, and I don’t question Him. This year I was also diagnosed with Hashimoto, an autoimmune disease. I will share more about that later. At first, fear tried to set in, but I serve a God who turns bad into good, so I embraced it. If this is something I have to walk through, I will because God is with me.
For 2018, the word God kept bringing up was Joy. So far, God has confirmed this word almost daily. I am so excited for what is to come with this word. I will focus on the little joys in life and I will embrace His Joy because He is my strength. What word have you picked for 2018?
-Pamela
For this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the JOY of the Lord is your strength.Nehemiah 8:10
