My Word for 2021
It’s that time of year again—time to choose a word and verse for the new year! Unlike last year, this word came to me rather quickly…and directly. In fact, it all started before I even went to church on the first Sunday of 2021. The devotional I used that morning talked about God as my SOURCE. I remember making a mental note of that word before I headed off to church. When my pastor announced his word and verse for the new year during the service, he encouraged us to choose ours too. At that time, I put the word SOURCE in my message notes as a definite possibility for 2021.
The Confirmation
Several years ago, I read a book written by Lysa TerKeurst titled, “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.” In this book, Lysa devoted a chapter to how we can determine if God is speaking to us by asking ourselves five questions. One of those questions is to ask yourself if you are hearing the same thing from different sources. The very next day, the word SOURCE came up again in the daily story in YouVersion. By this time, I was feeling pretty confident that my word for the year was to be SOURCE. The kicker is what happened next though. After my quiet time with God, I went upstairs to get a shower. When I stepped in, there was a freshly unwrapped cake of soap waiting for me with the word SOURCE written on it. If you aren’t an Aldi shopper, that is the brand name of their soap. That was confirmation enough for me! I literally laughed out loud and said, “Ok, God, I get the message!”
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 NIV
Selecting My Verse
The verse for 2021 was not quite as obvious, as many could serve as a reminder that God is my SOURCE. I had it narrowed down to three and finally settled on the verse above, John 15:5, just over a week ago. This happened to be the same day that my dad was admitted to the hospital and I was 1000 miles away from him. What a helpless feeling! With my mind racing and my emotions all over the map, I certainly needed the reminder that God is my SOURCE. He is the SOURCE of everything I need. The list is extensive, but peace was my greatest need that day. As always, the Prince of Peace provided. What I want you to take away from this post is not my word and verse for the year, but rather that He is the SOURCE of everything you need too.
Our Part and His Part
The Bible is packed with promises from God. Many of those promises come with a condition though. We are not just passive observers; we have a role to play. In John 15:5, our assignment is to stay connected to God. If a branch is separated from the vine, it’s dead wood. And that makes it powerless to bear fruit. Apart from Jesus, we are also powerless. He is our power SOURCE! The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that others will see this fruit on display in the lives of His children. That is assuming we do our part. To bear fruit, we must remain connected to the SOURCE of our power.
Bear It and Eat It
All this talk of fruit is making me hungry for a different kind. I’m dreaming of my next trip to the strawberry farm. I find this fruit especially delicious this time of year in Florida, especially when shortcake and ice cream are connected to those strawberries!
