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Word of the Year 2023

I am not a super trendy person. I do not do a “word of the year” every year.  I only commit to a word of the year when I feel prompted by God to focus that heavily on one thing. 

My word of the year is Discipline.  Those of you who consistently read my blog, may be a little confused.  Yes… That was my word of the year last year for 2022, and it is once again my word of the year for 2023. 

I can’t help but laugh when I think about my word of the year being on repeat.  It serves as strong evidence to me of God’s patience, and His sense of humor.  It is also a very tangible reminder to me that God has high standards.  I did grow in discipline in 2022, and yet this is an area where God is clearly telling me to keep striving.  I am not at a place where I am discouraged by this or feel like I am not measuring up.  Instead, it brings me comfort that my high standards for myself and the people around me are an inherited trait. 

The fact that God is still hanging around for another of year of growth in this specific area, is also encouraging to me for the days when I know I am not getting it right.  When I know I am coming up short.  'We’ll be working at this all year, again.'  This isn’t something that I have mastered and relapse, but rather something I am pursuing. God is showing that he is faithful to stand by me while I get through the messy stages of growth.  God didn’t just say, well you did your best and walk away.  Instead He’s said, that’s good, and now keep going.  Seeing discipline become my word of the year for two years affirms to me the size of the challenge, and gives me grace for not “getting it right” overnight.

During 2022, I developed my own definition of discipline.  For me, Discipline means not letting my emotions or my circumstances dictate my decisions.  Discipline means honoring the commitments that I have made to myself. 

This a pretty basic definition, but it’s not easy. How often do we tell ourselves, “I have had a long day, I deserve __________________.”  Fill in the blank- a $6 coffee, a night off on the couch, a beer, takeout instead of cooking, etc.  I am all for self-care and rewards, but for me, discipline means not allowing my long day to manipulate my decisions. Not using my long day as my excuse for not maintaining my commitments.

My word of the year has prompted a few things…

1.       I am reading “The Pursuit of Excellence” by Ryan Hawk.  I am only a few chapters in, but so far, wow.  This book has been PACKED with great illustrations and quotes.

2.       I am using a habit tracker for key areas in my life- prayer binder, working out, reading, and new skills.

3.       I am actively seeking other people who are passionate about discipline that I can incorporate into my community (if that’s you, please let me know!).

4.       I am starting small, but there a few habits and practices around my physical health that I am making non-negotiable. 

I am still on the hunt for some sort of scripture based study on discipline, and may end up creating my own.

Other things have carried over- I am still not drinking alcohol or eating sweets.  I have lost count on the years, but there are rarely any days when I miss either.

I am actively seeking people who are more disciplined than me to bring into my community, but I am also already seeing my pursuit of discipline influencing my household.  Discipline is also the word of the year for one my teens (independently chosen by her) and the other two both set ambitious New Year’s Resolutions.  I see them steadily raising their own standards for themselves and maintaining those standards.  They are developing their own disciplined habits and growing in those.  We have not had any well-planned strategic family conversations about discipline.  They are just watching- observing and applying in their own lives.  Those of you with kids know, there is no accountability quite like the pressure of knowing your kids are watching.  More is caught than taught, and I want to make sure that they are “catching” more of these good things.  It is invigorating to me to see that my household is on this path with me, growing in discipline.

From the Teen's Bedroom

Use the comments to let me know, how are you hoping to grow this year?  In what specific areas are you wanting to see increased discipline?  What helps you to keep your focus when life and circumstances are trying to prevent you from maintaining your commitments to yourself and others?





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