My Word of the Year for 2024
If you haven't chosen a Word of the Year for 2024 yet, no need to worry! There's still time to pick your word. I discovered the Word of the Year concept in 2018 when several friends had chosen one, sparking my curiosity about the hype. I found that having a Word of the Year provides a growth focus for the year.
The word is meant to represent a central way you are depending on God in the year to come. It helps you determine who you want to become by the end of the year.
When you have a word of the year, it helps you to be intentional about how you spend the hours, days, and months of the year.
Word of the Year
The word God put on my heart for this year is cultivate. This word often brings to mind the gardens of my childhood. No matter where we lived, my Mom always made sure we had a garden. My favorite food from the garden was the round, juicy tomatoes.
As a child, I didn’t understand that the tomatoes didn't get red and juicy overnight. It took time and effort on my Mom’s part to produce those beautiful and delicious tomatoes. She needed to make sure the weeds were pulled out so they wouldn’t choke the tomato plants. My Mom had to water the garden often to help the tomatoes grow.
In this coming year, I want to tend to different areas of my life to prepare for new growth. I long to become more like Jesus and that will take time and effort. I desire to cultivate relationships with my family, friends, and church community. This year, I have various goals and plans that I want to develop and nurture. I am excited to see how God uses my word of the year.
Cultivate
God is the one who helps us to cultivate in our lives. The Scripture Verse that goes along with my word of the year is:
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5, NLT
This verse challenges me to stay rooted in Jesus. Apart from Him, I can do nothing. I won’t be able to cultivate anything in my life without Jesus. As I remain in Him this year, I am expectant to produce much fruit.
What does the word cultivate mean?
Each time I pick out a word of the year, I look up the definition in the dictionary to understand what my word means. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines cultivate as: “to foster the growth of, to improve by labor, care, or study” I also love the definition that Cultivate What Matters uses in their planner, which is “to break up the soil in preparation for new growth. To tend. To grow.”
This year, I am looking forward to breaking up the soil in my life to prepare for new growth. I am also excited about tending to the different areas of my life and watching God move in powerful ways.
Word of the Year FREE Resource
The concept of one word for the year is life-changing. I am excited for you to experience it! So, how do you choose your word of the year? I am so glad you asked! I created a free printable to guide you through picking your Word of the Year for 2024. I shared about this guide in this blog post. There is also a Family Word of the Year version. This is an awesome way to grow as a family too! Please sign up below to receive this FREE Printable.
I can’t wait to hear what your Word of the Year is! Please comment below once you decide on your word. If you already know your word, please comment below. I look forward to seeing how God is going to move in your life this year.