Hey Friends,
Every year, it’s always a lot of fun to choose the one word I want to focus on for the rest of the year. I first heard of this idea from the book, My One Word: Change Your Life With Just One Word by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen. I first read this book back in 2013 and to date, it’s still one of my top favorite books of all time. I’ve been choosing one word each year ever since!
Here are my “one words” from the past:
- Conquer (2014)
- Joy (2015)
- Prayer (2016)
- Faith (2017)
- Flourish (2018)
Looking back, I learned something from each year. However, I learned the most in the years that I chose joy, faith, and flourish (this past year).
It’s amazing to look back and see how God could use a little word like joy or faith to teach me important life lessons.
I would highly encourage you to read the book My One Word and then proceed to choose a word of your own. I’ve also written this post about my experience with the “one word” exercise along with some of my own thoughts + tips.
For the rest of this post, I want to share some words to help get you choose your one word for the new year. Next to each word I am going to include a Scripture verse (or two, or three!) that can go along with your one word. It’s always a good idea to choose your one word and a verse to help you learn even more about the word you have chosen!
I am excited to share all these fun and lovely words to help you choose your one word! Let’s get started!
100 Words to Help You Choose Your One Word
- Able (Philippians 4:13 or Ephesians 3:20-21)
- Abundance or Abundant (Ephesians 3:20-21)
- Adaptable (Philippians 4:11-13)
- Adored (Jeremiah 31:3)
- Accept or Accepted (Ephesians 1:6)
- Appreciate or Appreciative (Colossians 3:15)
- Authentic (Romans 12:9)
- Aware (1 Peter 5:8)
- Balance or Balanced (Proverbs 11:1)
- Beauty or Beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
- Beloved (Ephesians 1:6)
- Blessed (Psalm 119:2, Jeremiah 17:7-8, or Matthew 5:6)
- Bloom or Blooming (Isaiah 40:8 or Psalm 92:12)
- Bold (Proverbs 28:1 or Hebrews 13:6)
- Brave (Psalm 27:14 or Joshua 1:9)
- Bright (Matthew 5:16)
- Calm (Philippians 4:7 or Isaiah 26:3)
- Capable (Philippians 4:13)
- Caring (Luke 6:31 or Philippians 2:4)
- Cheerful (Proverbs 17:22)
- Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
- Compassion or Compassionate (Psalm 145:8, Lamentations 3:22, or Jude 22)
- Confident or Confidence (Philippians 1:6 or Proverbs 3:26)
- Considerate (Psalm 41:1 or Hebrews 10:24)
- Conquer or Conqueror (Romans 8:37)
- Content (1 Timothy 6:6)
- Courageous (Joshua 1:9)
- Courteous (1 Peter 3:8)
- Dedicated (Luke 16:10)
- Delight (Psalm 1:2 or Psalm 112:1)
- Determined or Determination (Daniel 1:8)
- Diligent (Proverbs 12:24 or Psalm 119:4)
- Discern or Discerning (1 Corinthians 2:14 or 1 John 4:1)
- Discreet (Titus 2:5)
- Effective (2 Peter 1:8)
- Efficient (Ephesians 5:15-16)
- Empathetic or Empathy (Romans 12:15)
- Energy or Energized (Romans 12:11)
- Enthusiastic (Colossians 3:23)
- Eternal or Eternity (John 17:3)
- Excel, Excellent, or Excellence (Proverbs 31:29)
- Faith or Faithful (Luke 16:10, 1 Corinthians 4:2, or 2 Corinthians 5:7)
- Fearless (Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 118:6, or 1 John 4:18)
- Flourish (Psalm 92:12)
- Focus or Focused (Matthew 6:24)
- Forgive or Forgiving (Ephesians 4:32)
- Free or Freedom (John 8:32 or Galatians 5:1)
- Friendly (Proverbs 18:24)
- Fulfilled (Psalm 145:16)
- Generous (Luke 6:38)
- Gentle or Gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23 or 2 Timothy 2:24)
- Genuine (1 Timothy 1:5, 1 John 3:18, or 1 Peter 1:22)
- Give or Giving (Luke 6:38 or 2 Corinthians 9:7)
- Godly or Godliness (Timothy 2:10, 1 Timothy 4:8, or 1 Timothy 6:6)
- Good or Goodness (Galatians 5:22-23 or Galatians 6:10)
- Grace (2 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 6:14, or James 4:6)
- Grateful or Gratitude (Psalm 118:24 or 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
- Grow or Growing (Philippians 3:12-14 or 2 Peter 3:18)
- Happy (Proverbs 3:13 or Philippians 4:4)
- Hard-Work or Hard-Working (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Colossians 3:23-24, Proverbs 12:24, or Proverbs 6:6-8)
- Health or Healthy (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 or 3 John 1:2)
- Holy or Holiness (1 Peter 1:15-17)
- Home or Homemaker (Proverbs 14:1 or Proverbs 31)
- Honest or Honesty (Proverbs 12:22 or 2 Corinthians 8:21)
- Hope or Hopeful (Romans 12:12 or Romans 15:13)
- Hospitality or Hospitable (Hebrews 13:2 or 1 Peter 4:9)
- Joy or Joyful (Philippians 4:4)
- Kind or Kindness (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:12, or 1 Corinthians 13:4)
- Knowledge (Proverbs 1:7 or Proverbs 18:15)
- Love or Loving (1 Corinthians 13 or 1 John 4:7)
- Lovely or Loveliness (Philippians 4:8)
- Loyal (Proverbs 17:17)
- Message or Messenger (Isaiah 6:8)
- Mission, Missions or Missionary (Mark 16:15 or Psalm 96:3)
- Modest or Modesty (1 Timothy 2:9)
- Patient or Patience (Psalm 37:7-9, Isaiah 40:31, Galatians 5:22, or Galatians 6:9)
- Peace or Peaceful (Psalm 119:165, Isaiah 26:3, or Colossians 3:15)
- Persist or Persistent (Proverbs 24:16, Luke 11:9-10, or Galatians 6:9)
- Quiet or Quietness (Psalm 46:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, or 1 Peter 3:4)
- Radiate, Radiant, or Radiance (Matthew 5:16, Psalm 27:1, or 1 Peter 2:9)
- Refresh or Refreshed (Psalm 23:3)
- Renew (Isaiah 40:31 or Romans 12:2)
- Right or Righteous (Psalm 106:3 or 2 Timothy 2:22)
- Secure (Psalm 61:3, Psalm 91:1-2, or Proverbs 18:10)
- Selfless (Luke 6:35, Philippians 2:3-4, or 1 Peter 3:8
- Serveย (Matthew 20:28 or Mark 10:44-45)
- Simple, Simplify, or Simplified (Luke 12:15, Hebrew 12:1-2, or 1 Timothy 6:6-7)
- Sincere (Philippians 1:10 or Titus 2:7)
- Thankful (Psalm 107:1, Ephesians 5:20, Colossians 3:15, or 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
- Thoughtful (Philippians 2:4)
- Thrive (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
- Trust or Trusting (Psalm 56:3, Proverbs 3:5, or Isaiah 26:3-4)
- Truth or Truthful (John 8:32 or John 17:17)
- Understanding (Proverbs 2:2 or Proverbs 17:27)
- Victory or Victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57 or 1 John 5:4)
- Vibrant (Matthew 5:16)
- Virtue or Virtuous (Proverbs 31:10)
- Whole (Mark 5:34 or 2 Corinthians 5:17)
- Wise or Wisdom (Proverbs 3:13, Proverbs 18:15, Ephesians 5:15, or James 1:5)
- Worthy (Ephesians 4:1 or Colossians 1:10)
I hope these 100 words help you choose your one word for the new year. Once you have chosen your word please let me know in a comment below (or email me right here) to tell me what word you have chosen and why. I can’t wait to hear all about your one word!
My One Word for 2019
Okay, after sharing all those words and Scripture references, I am super excited to share my one word for 2019 with all of you! I was thinking about choosing a word similar to flourish (which is the word I chose for 2018) but after thinking ahead I have chosen a completely different word.
For 2019 my one word is going to be COURAGE.
The verse I am claiming to go along with my one word is the familiar verse from Joshua chapter one:
“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9
So, why have I chosen this word?
Going into 2019, I’m facing a lot of unknowns. My husband and I are planning to start deputation this year as church planters. That means traveling, visiting new churches, meeting new people and (for me) being in some new and uncomfortable situations! I want to live this year with courage for this new journey and for whatever else our new year may hold. By God’s grace I want to live this year with COURAGE.
Want to Learn More?
Check out these helpful resources to help you choose your one word and have an awesome new year:
- My One Word: How to Change Your Life with Just One Word (Book)
- How to Change This Year With Just One Word (Blog Post)
- Powersheets Goal Setting Planner – a helpful goal setting planner to help you set your biggest and greatest goals for the New Year!
I Would Love to Know
What word have you chosen this year + why? Please share in the comments below! โฅ
My word for 2019 is Stand. In the times we live in, we need to stand up and speak out in Christian love for what we believe. 1 Corinthians 16:13
That is such a great word – I love it. It has such a powerful reminder behind it too. Thank you for sharing! โฅ I hope the Lord teaches you much with the word Stand in 2019.
Splendid post! I’ve read the My One Word book, and already chosen my word: Delight ๐ I’ll be focusing on choosing Christ to delight in rather than anything that gives only temporal pleasure. I also hope to learn more, but I know that is one thing that has been on my heart. I hope your new One word goes well too Rebekah! God Bless, & Happy New Years!
~Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Delight is such an excellent word. That’s something we all really need to be reminded of so often. I hope the Lord teaches you a lot about Himself in the coming year as you seek to Delight in Him! โฅ
Thank you so much for sharing your word!
Rebekah
I’m not sure if I’ll pick a One Word for the year or not — we’ll have to see — but in the past I’ve had the word “Listen” as well as the phrase, “Do Hard Things” for this past year.
I hope you decide to choose one! It’s so neat to see how God will use the word we choose โค๏ธ
I thought about it and decided on the word “new” for 2019. ๐
Great choice ๐
My word for 2019 is Fearless. I love the verses you have chosen to go along with it. This year one of my goals is to go on a missions trip somewhere “adventurous” so that will work perfectly. I also know that fear sometimes holds me back from obeying God and from doing hard things. So this will be a great reminder to step out in faith, even when I can’t see more than a few feet ahead. Thank you for this very helpful + encouraging post, Rebekah! You are always a blessing. ๐
I have not ever picked a word for the year but I have definitely decided that this year I need to focus on joy. The past several years have been filled with many challenges and I realize that I have often let my circumstances dictate my mood etc rather than the joy of who God is and who I am in Christ. I hope to learn a lot and reflect the joy of Christ more clearly!
I love it! Joy was my favorite one word… there’s so much to learn about joy!
I am thinking about going with strive or excellence for this year. Lately I think I have been settling for good instead of what is best or godly and I think this year I would really like to strive for excellence. I canโt decide which word. I like strive but it was often used as a negative sense in the Bible. What do you think?
I really like the word excellence – especially since it’s referenced in Proverbs 31 when is says the Proverbs 31 woman “excellest” them all. Although in that verse it probably has a slightly different meaning. You could always try looking of some synonyms to both words to see if any of them resonate with you. ๐ You can always take a couple weeks to think about it too.
Ah! We have the same word! I chose “courage,” to step out and talk to people more often and make a new friend or two. ๐
I can’t wait to look back at 2019 and see if I was courageous! I will be praying for you and your word of the year too. <3
~Hadassah
Oh that is so neat! I hope you have a wonderful year with the word COURAGE. May we both live bravely and courageously this year! โฅ
My word for 2019 is DILIGENT.
I’m finally finishing school this next year, but it will take self discipline and diligence to stay on track and do my best ๐
That sounds like a great word for your year! Thanks for sharing โฅ
Last year I had chosen the word Contentment, but it would seem that the Lord thought I needed to work on Courage because I was constantly stepping out of my comfort zone. It was an awesome year though! This time it has been really hard choosing just one word because of everything going on in my life, but I have finally decided on Faith.
I am glad you had a great year learning about both Contentment and Courage. It’s neat how God teaches us different things in different seasons! Thank you for sharing your new word for 2018 – FAITH is a great one! โฅ
Oops! I meant 2019! ๐
I think my word shall be SMILE! ๐
When life is though it helps to smile,
When grumpiest come stop and smile,
If falsely accused submit and smile,
Share the joy and smile, smile, smile.
My verses will be
Num 6:25-26 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:ย
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.ย
2Co 3:18ย But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.ย
Or maybe it should be Matthew 5:16
Their is even a song I can sing that my Granddad sang when we where little and in a bad mood. ๐
You can smile when you can not say a word you can smile though you can not be heard you can smile anytime anywhere! You can smile! You can smile! You can smile!
Oh my goodness, I love this! SMILE is such a good word! It’s amazing how one little smile can do so much. Thank you for sharing this with all of us. I love the verses and the song as well! ๐
My word for 2019 is Intentional. I want to live my life on purpose this year – not just be floating through life taking it as it comes. I want to be PROactive instead of REactive and live life on purpose. ๐ A verse that keeps coming to mind is “Redeeming the time for the days are evil.” I want to make the best use of everything and the time God gives me this year. I want to be an Intentional Christian. ๐
Intentional is such a good word. It’s something we can all work on – and it makes a big difference. The verse you chose to go along with your word is perfect ๐ thank you so much for sharing! ๐
Your word is a very good one Rebekah! I had already chosen growth as my word for the year. Praying I grow closer to God and to be more like Him in 2019! Happy New Year!โบ๏ธ
That’s such a great word too!! ๐
I thought you hadn’t posted in a while, but it turns out I just haven’t been getting your emails! That happens a lot for some reason. Anyway, I decided to do a word for the month and also focus on monthly goals instead of yearly ones ๐ This month my word is surprisingly not on the list…Resilient!
Intencional. esta sera minha palavra para 2019.
Just read the my one word article and found it fabulous and very interesting. I always wanted to a study on word.
I used to be suggested this blog by way of my cousin. I’m not
sure whether this submit is written by him as no one else recognize such
certain approximately my trouble. You are wonderful!
Thanks!
I think I’m going with Joy. I’ve felt satan trying to steal my joy all year and am determined to not let that happen! That will be my 2020 focus!
That’s was one of my favorite words a few years ago!
I know Iโm a year late but this year (2020) I chose Blooming. This year I am starting my last year of school, going to help my sister and her 6 kids for a few weeks, and attending a lot of Bible conferences and I really want to โbloom where Iโm plantedโ. I donโt know if that makes sense but I just want to become a woman who is filled with Godโs word so that everyone will know thereโs a change in me. ๐บ๐บ