I’m a little late to be posting about my word of the year when it’s been all over blogland.  It’s not because I haven’t been thinking about it, rather it’s just been hard to find a word that sums up what I want or need this year.  None of them felt quite right.  I had considered dream, intentional, dare, believe, renew, focus and even outloud.  I didn’t want to casually pick a word, rather I wanted it to be meaningful and prayerful.

Well, this is it….  PURSUE.

It fits in so many ways.  Let me share a little…

My Dream Job – I need to build and grow my hobby from finding treasures and selling in the little space I rent to a whole new level.  I want Farm Girls at Heart to be a brand that becomes bigger than the little antique store I sell out of.  I want to sell more on etsy, I want to do shows in different states.  I want to step out and make my dream a reality.  In order to do that, I have to pursue my dream and not wait for success to find me, I have to pursue it.

Healthy Lifestyle – I am tired of ever changing 15 – 20 pounds that I am constantly losing and gaining.  I don’t want to focus on a size or weight goal.  I would rather focus on eating healthier and being intentional with the food I eat; and to move and exercise more.  Diets don’t work for me, but healthier eating will benefit everybody.

Righteousness – I want to pursue righteousness.  To dig into the word more and grow in my relationship with God.  I want read the Bible more and to continue to journal regularly.  I want to be a good example to my family.  The hardest thing in this one is the the tendency for me to talk negatively.  I am generally a positive person (I’m even criticized for it), but I can’t seem to help but to share my thoughts and feelings about things that happen or my opinions about them.  This may not seem bad, but then I hear my children parrot my previous conversations and I realize that is not a good thing…

Boldness – I want to pursue boldness in my Christian faith.  I have been a believer all my life.  I love God with all my heart and if you ask me, I would love to share my faith with you. Did you notice that I said “if you ask me”.   But for some reason, I can’t seem to step out of my comfort zone and initiate conversations about church and/or God.  I wait for people to ask me questions rather than asking them anything related to church or God.

Why?  I’m not sure and that frustrates me.  I don’t ever want to seem pushy or make people feel obligated and that has kept me from reaching out to people. Often times, I fear being judged and that fear keeps me from stepping out.  That is one of the reasons this blog has never been posted on my Facebook or Instagram because I fear judgement or criticism from people. I would rather speak to a faceless crowd where people don’t know me personally.   I need boldness in this area too, that this blog can be another platform to share my faith.

Authentic Relationships – I want to pursue real relationships with women.  I want to build a small group of ladies where we can share our deeper feelings and hurts and desires without fear of judgement or criticism.  I need to be more open with sharing my home and time with others.

That’s my word of the year.  It has lofty goals and lots of avenues to be used this year.  I pray that this word will weave its way through my heart and life this year; that changes will be made and lives improved as a result.

Do you have a word of the year?  I’d love to hear about it!