Since becoming a mom for the first time, God has really made it clear to me that he is refining me.  Becoming a mother changed my life.  What I discovered when I became a mother was that God was using the refining fire of motherhood to change me.  One way he does this refining work is through bath time.  You parents know what I mean.

Choosing a word of the year is so important.  Another way of saying word of the year is a guiding word.  Choosing a guiding word (no matter what time of the year it is) is so important.

Yes, resolutions often fail, and yes, a year is a long time to make any sort of commitment.  But by choosing a word of the year, you’re giving yourself a guide post.

A problem for me, is that I often get distracted by new ideas.  Anyone who knows me well, would laugh at this and call it a colossal understatement.  My brain has so many new ideas, I’m like a dog getting distracted by a squirrel.

This isn’t all bad, but I have realized that I need to stay grounded and focused.  As I stand at the end of a year, and look ahead to the next, I want to ground myself with a word that can steer me and direct me.  Maybe it will be one word for you, or maybe it will be more.  But, you do need to give some thought to choosing a guiding word.

Read all the way through this post (or cheat and scroll to the bottom- no judgement- we all have those days) to find the option to receive a free worksheet that will help you identify your own word of the year.

Whether you’re a parent, an aunt, an uncle, a grandparent, or a friend, finding kids gifts for Christmas can be draining.  What toys are “all-the-rage” right now?  Does this girl like pink and purple or blue and green?  How much is appropriate to spend?  Is this gift age-appropriate?  Do 10-year-olds still play with stuffed animals?  The quest for the perfect gift should be less about finding the perfect “toy-of-the-moment” and more about substance.  Gifts that grow faith in a child are the perfect answer.

Why I Care About Gifts That Grow Faith

A while back, I was putting my oldest son to bed.  As I was tucking the blankets around him, he looked up at me with his sweet, blue eyes, and said, “Mom, if you could wish for just one thing in the whole world, what would it be?”

I didn’t hesitate, because my daily prayers already held the answer.  I said to him, “Buddy, my biggest prayer is that you, your brother, and your sister would grow up to know God, love God and serve God.”  He stared at me for a moment longer before saying, “I would wish for a lizard.”

Silence.  My silence, God’s silence… I really wasn’t sure.  But I think it was mostly my silence.  My prayer life was dry. Dusty, broken… nearly non-existent.  I knew this wasn’t what a healthy prayer life was supposed to look like or feel like.  I allowed myself to become complacent, lazy, and more involved with myself than pursuing a close relationship with God.  But there’s one thing that kept pulling me back, and that was God’s word.  That’s when I realized that praying scripture could be the answer to my all-but-abandoned prayer life.

—-Keep reading to find your free scripture guide!—-

Staring out the window at the clouds and the grass, a war is going on within me.  I feel like I need to get words out, but I’m not even sure what those words need to be.  I feel compelled to write, but I don’t feel I deserve to write.  At least, I don’t deserve to write about Jesus.

That’s the funny thing, though.  Jesus is exactly who I feel compelled to write about.  But how could I?

I’m not a theologian, and despite my deepest desire, I’m no prayer warrior.  I love the word, but I’m far from an expert.  But still… I’m compelled to write about Jesus.

“December 7.”  That date meant I was late for advent.  I kept repeating the day in my head as I pushed open the barn door to my office and walked towards my mis-matched chair and desk.

I had every intention of starting the advent activity, from Focus on the Family, on time with our children.  Our 3 kids, ages 6, 4, and 2, were excited about building a nativity as we slowly approached Christmas Day.  Wait… slowly?  Who am I kidding?  Time was rushing by and life was a complete blur of school, work, youth group and coaching.  

December 7.  This would be the day we would start the advent activity.  It had already been a few days since I had sat in front of my computer trying to decide if it would be more economical to print the activity at home on my own printer, or in town at the print shop.  I decided it was probably cheaper at the print shop.

Even with that decision made, I pictured the scene of making one more trip into town, getting the kids out of their car seats and running door-to-door in the cold, north-east winds.  That thought alone made me shiver, sigh, and press print.  After the printing was complete, I gathered up the papers so that I could review them and cut out the first few days worth of cards.  We had some catch-up to do.