I dropped my phone in the toilet this morning. (Clean water, by the way.)

I’m wearing a heart monitor for a month. (Yeah, my heart decided to rebel recently.)

I had to change my plans for my day off today.

This is life, isn’t it?

An imperfect, messy, ridiculous, unpredictable, crazy, amazing, exciting, beautiful, blessed life.

As 2017 began, I searched my heart to find the one word that would inspire me all year long and would encompass this amazing life I’ve been given. I searched scripture, and I prayed for God to guide me to the one He might have for me. I Googled words, I scanned the dictionary and thesaurus. What would be my word for 2017?

I came up with 5… adventure, shine, happiness, joy, legacy. You might agree, these are great words, but none of them truly captured what I was looking for. Not one of them seemed to be the “perfect” word.

The search continued. I even attended a wonderful and inspiring 1-Word Event with some amazing women and beautiful friends mid-week. My search ended last night when I stumbled on the word thrive. And that led me to my word for this year…

LIVE.

I found every word I was drawn to had to do with living. Not just getting through each day kind of living, but embracing each moment and living vibrantly and intentionally to influence others for God’s glory.

–To live a life of impact, and to make a difference for this generation and the next.

–To live life in a way that leaves a lasting legacy.

–Living outside of what’s comfortable, yet remaining in balance.

–To live a life that’s real, authentic, and transparent.

–To find joy in the simple and even in the drop-your-phone-in-the-toilet kind of days.

–Living by allowing God’s love to shine through to others.

–Living with no regrets, no second-guesses, no indecision.

–And, to continue speaking and writing to encourage others on their journey.

It’s time for me to live.

Maybe it’s time for you, too. Maybe you’re ready to live the life God has prepared for you, to experience all He has for you. And, you know, that you know, that you know, there’s got to me more to life than just getting through the day.

What do we do? Where do we begin? I suggest we start in the beginning. We look at where we are now and how we want to live differently. We look at where our center is, and if it’s not on our Creator, we go back to centering our lives on Him. When we ask God to align our lives with His plans and His purposes, we find life becomes an amazing adventure. Filled with opportunities to grow, to flourish, to live in His strength, abundance, and blessing.

[Tweet “When we ask God to align our lives with His plans, life becomes an amazing adventure.”]

I’m glad I found this word before my phone took an unwanted dip this morning. LIVE is already impacting my attitude, as it stopped me from having a complete meltdown, not yet knowing if my phone is salvageable. (I’ll let you know!) I’m living vibrantly through the messy today.

I’m praying for 2017 to be the year we live.

The year we really live the lives we’ve been given. We only get one chance to do so. Let’s give it all we’ve got. Let’s make a difference and impact the world we live in. And, let’s do it God’s way and in God’s strength. Join me, won’t you?

[Tweet “May 2017 be the year we live the lives we’ve been given. We only get one chance to do so.”]

And, if you’ve chosen a word, a statement, or resolution to define your year, I’d love for you to share it below. I’d love to cheer you on in your journey through 2017.

Blessings to you!

Julie

Linking this post with Crystal and Deb. I invite you to visit their spaces of encouragement!