Let’s Have a Word 

A Word for the Year Can Help Us Focus 

For the past couple of years, Pastor Lisa has shared about choosing a Word for the Year. She has given the congregation the opportunity to draw a word randomly from a basket filled with them. I’ve participated in this practice, and I’ve found it to be very beneficial. 

Pastor Lisa shared that her word for 2025 was healing. At first, she expected it to be physical. She was hoping it might involve losing weight, something she has never been particularly pleased with for most of her life her. 

As it turns out, the healing God had in mind was more spiritual than physical. 

Mark 5:21-42 is a great passage about healing, and not just physical healing. In this Scripture, Jesus is on His way to heal the daughter of Jairus, one of the synagogue leaders.  

As He walks, He is surrounded by a mob. In the mob is a woman who had “been bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a lot under the care of many doctors, and had spent everything she had without getting any better. In fact, she had gotten worse.  

Because she had heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes. She was thinking, If I can just touch his clothes, I’ll be healed. Her bleeding stopped immediately, and she sensed in her body that her illness had been healed. 

At that very moment, Jesus recognized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 

His disciples said to him, “Don’t you see the crowd pressing against you? Yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But Jesus looked around carefully to see who had done it. 

The woman, full of fear and trembling, came forward. Knowing what had happened to her, she fell down in front of Jesus and told him the whole truth. He responded, “Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace, healed from your disease.” 

Jesus then continued on to Jairus’s house, where people told Him the girl was already dead. But Jesus went into her room and brought her back to life. 

In both situations, the results were different than what many people expected, but not for those who believed and had faith in God.  

The same can be true for a Word of the Year. Just like Pastor Lisa’s word didn’t happen the way she initially expected, we should not approach our word with preconceived thoughts. 

The question is … what is the purpose of a Word for the Year? 

We need to give some thought to this question.  

Choosing a Word of the Year is more than a fun ritual. It’s a powerful way to set intention and stay aligned all year long. Your word becomes your anchor, your theme, your reminder, that keeps you focused when life gets busy or uncertain. 

Unlike New Year’s resolutions that often fade by February, a Word of the Year becomes a steady guide.  

It shapes your mindset, influences your decisions, and brings clarity to what actually matters as the year unfolds. At its core, choosing a Word of the Year is about self-awareness and intention.  

It’s less about perfection and more about direction. 

When you connect your goals back to your word, it helps keep them front-of-mind. Put the word in prominent places where you will see it often – on your phone screen, computer, fridge, or in your planner. 

My word for 2025 was prosperity. At first glance, that word could easily be limited to money and wealth.  

Before I draw a word from the basket, I ask God to give me the word He wants me to have. After receiving it, I ask Him to direct my thoughts and my research. I search the Bible for Scriptures with the word in them, study its definitions, and look at sayings that use it. 

Once I’ve done this, I choose what God directs me to and intentionally include those things in my daily routine. 

If we want to get the most from our Word of the Year, we need to align it with God’s plans and be intentional about living it out.