What’s Your Word?

Hi friends! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We spent it in Florida with

our oldest daughter, her hubby, and our grandsons. It was wonderful, but crazily

enough only 30 degrees. The coldest winter in decades. Go figure. Thankfully,

it’s going to be mid-70s in a few days and I’m going to soak up that sun before

returning to Maryland.

I’d love to hear about your Christmas and what the weather was like where you

spent it. I know they had seriously low temperatures back home and across a

good portion of the country, and so many got stranded because of canceled or

delayed flights. Waiting in airports is no fun, but the idea goes right into what

I’m sharing about today.

I don’t know about you, but a good number of friends and fellow authors pick a

word for the New Year. It can be any word. Some choose the word based on

what God lays on their heart, some choose a word that has special meaning to

them, and others choose a word that will help them grow and stretch in the

coming year. I don’t recall picking a word in the past, but one clear one

fastened in my mind for this year. Waiting.

Waiting? That’s what popped into my mind. Of all the words available and

several I would have loved to pick like less, hope, peace, or grace, I ended up

waiting. To be honest, I’m terrible at waiting. Patience is most definitely not

my strong suit. Instead of inpatient, I like to use words like spontaneous or

adventurous. While those are attributes I possess, the underlying issue God

has brought to my mind. In fact, the lesson He’s tried to get through my thick

skull is that there are seasons of waiting in our lives…in our spiritual lives, and

they have a purpose. Often a purpose only God knows, but sometimes after-

the fact God graciously gives us a glimpse of it.

I don’t know what you might be waiting for—the right guy or girl to come along,

the right job, a publishing contract, the latest novel from your favorite writer, or

something even more serious like news from a biopsy or the fertility doctor.

Waiting is often hard, sometimes excruciating. Trust me, I know. I’ve waited

beside deathbeds. I’ve waited in delivery rooms and inside the NICU. I

waited for a publishing contract for seven years before receiving one. So much

waiting. But I recently learned while we might be waiting, God isn’t. He’s always

at work. Working for our good and His will. And His timing is perfect. Perfect.

Waiting is tough, but there’s also peace to be found if you surrender to it.

Accept it’s a waiting season and look to the Lord with hope and trust His

perfect timing.

Reader Question: Do you have a word for the year? If so, I’d love it if you’d share it.

Have a blessed day!

~Dani