The Lost Chapter

This was a chapter I originally had in my upcoming book He Is The Vine. Once the book was finished we decided that it didn’t quite fit the theme. So here it is for your reading pleasure It’s called WOTY’s aka Word of the Year.

“I have hidden your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” - Psalm 119:11 (NIV)

Have you heard about people choosing a "word of the year"? Maybe you've even picked one yourself. I've been following Christ for a while now, and honestly, I only started doing this in the last six years. Before that? Maybe I had a word or two, but let's be real, they weren't exactly memorable! Haha! And, if I am being completely honest, I don't even recall any of them prior to the last six of them. My memory is, well, let's just say it's not my superpower. Dates, history – it's all a blur. Bless my husband; he's got the patience of Job. Anyway, I digress...

For those new to the "word of the year" (WOTY) concept, it's basically a simple reminder of what you want to achieve over the next 365 days. Since this is a book about wine, we could call it our vine’s training system or VTS. Now, I have really confused you! Think of it as a New Year's resolution, but distilled down to a single, powerful word. Instead of a laundry list of goals that are easy to abandon, your WOTY becomes a lens through which you focus your intentions. Like a VTS, a WOTY can help promote growth in your life, it can strongly impact the direction in which you are growing, and it can help prevent the overshading by the other leaves on your branches. Staying focused on your WOTY can help you to stay focused and keep you on track.

Let’s say you usually make a resolution to get healthy. Instead of saying, "I'm hitting the gym five times a week, starting at 5 a.m., and living on kale," (a bit extreme, I know!), you could choose "Healthy" as your word. Suddenly, it's not just about the gym. "Healthy" can mean better sleep, mindful eating, diving into a good book, or even just carving out quiet time for yourself. So, if you only make it to the gym twice a week but walk with friends a couple of times, you're still rocking that word! According to Fisher College, statistics show that only 9% of Americans actually keep their resolutions. https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail)

Have you ever made one? How did that go for you? I usually fizzle out after a month. And maybe it's because I'm not competitive, being an only child and all. Any other only children out there?

In recent years, I have even seen churches adopt a word of the year. By using a single word it can unite the whole congregation around a common goal. For instance, our church, Fellowship of the Parks chose the word “Invest” for 2025. While some may look at that as ,“Oh sure! A church wants to make sure we are investing in the church." It is actually a reminder to be intentional with how we invest our time, how we invest in our community, in ourselves and yes, in our finances. One simple word used to align our hearts with His!

Social Dallas, led by Pastor Robert and Taylor Madu, is another great example of a church that uses a WOTY to unite their congregation. It is one of my favorite church podcasts to listen to throughout the week, and in 2024, their word was "Unshakable." What’s even better is they paired it with scripture! I loved how every Sunday, the whole church would declare it together. Talk about powerful! They chose Hebrews 12:28-29 (The Message translation): “Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” Seriously, watching Pastor Robert reveal that word still gives me chills! Pairing a WOTY with scripture? Now,that's fire! In Psalm 119:11(NIV) the psalmist reminds us to "hide God's Word in our heart, that we might not sin against Him." It's our guide, our peace, our place of rest. Why wouldn’t we choose a scripture to spur us on throughout the year?

So, how do you pick your word? Well….. I ask God. Usually, I start praying about it in November, and then I wait. The word doesn't always come right away. One year, it wasn't until New Year's Eve that I finally felt peace about the word God gave me. And, being the awesome God He is, He confirmed it on New Year's Day when our Senior Pastor Doug Walker at Fellowship of the Parks used it in his sermon. The word was "unfurl" – I mean, who even uses that word?! It was definitely a "God wink" moment!

SIDENOTE: Pastor Bianca Juarez of Revere Church in California gives a great step by step guide to help people find their word for the year at https://www.biancaolthoff.com/wordoftheyear....

Looking back, 2024 was a tough year. I unexpectedly lost my mom in February, and it was filled with grief, a deeper search for God, waiting, and healing. My word that year was "Unfurl," and it all made sense later on. All those tangled emotions unfolded through therapy and my quiet time with God. Questions I'd had for years about my family finally came to light, which was overwhelming, to say the least. BUT GOD... He comforted me, reminding me of who I am and whose I am. He also brought to mind my words from previous years. I had TWO years in a row where my word was "Surrender." Clearly, I didn't get it the first time! The year after that my word was "Content”. I am pretty sure that is just surrender in disguise, followed by the phrase "Exponentially More," which felt super random and a bit terrifying. But who am I to argue with God? Okay, I do argue sometimes (maybe it’s an only-child thing!), but He always wins. You'd think I'd learn. But hey, the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ERV), “to never stop praying”, and prayer is just talking to God, right? I like to think of it as a witty banter between us. As I mentioned, my word for 2024 was "Unfurl," and now, in 2025, my word is "SPARKLE!" Talk about beauty from ashes! Isaiah 61:3-4 (NLT) says, "To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory."

As I reflected on my past words, God kept showing me that there's beauty on the other side of obedience and chaos – a.k.a. surrender/contentment. Once I surrendered, there was "Exponentially More" waiting for me. He helped me "Unfurl" those emotions and find answers to long-held questions. And now, "SPARKLE"! That’s beauty on the other side y’all! I love this word! But I have also learned to appreciate the journey because the journey brings us closer to Jesus.

This year, I decided to find a scripture to go with my word, just like Pastor Robert. I chose Psalm 34:5 (Passion Translation): “Gaze upon Him, join your life with His, and joy will come. Your faces will glisten (SPARKLE – that’s my translation!) with glory. You’ll never wear that shame-face again.” It might seem like an odd choice, but it'll make more sense when I share my testimony. Stay tuned! Sometimes, I swear God just likes to show off. He even gave me an acronym for "SPARKLE"!

Spreading . Positivity . Always . Radiating . Kindness . Loving . Everyone

He must know that SPARKLE is my favorite color. How cool is that! This is my year to sparkle, and even though I'm far from perfect, I ask God every day to show me how to live out my WOTY and bring joy to others by taking a little bit of His sparkle with me wherever I go.

Thoughts to uncork….

Have you ever picked a word for the year? If so, what were they?

Have you gone back to reflect on them?

Did you stick to them?

♡ - Donna Kirkwood