2016 word for the year

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I am so excited to blog today and share what God has laid on my heart for this year! In 2014 my word for the year was Deeper and I really felt like that was my word for 2015 as well, I just didn’t know it until last week when I looked back over the year. My verse for Deeper was Jeremiah 17:7-8

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
⁸They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
    with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
    or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
    and they never stop producing fruit.

In 2014 I am pretty sure I had some sort of depression going on. If nothing else, I was in a definite funk and God needed to do some major work in me. I didn’t really want to be around people yet I craved a community, I felt unsure of what to do with my life, who I was as a mom, a wife, a friend. The thought of moving away sounded wonderful, to just go somewhere and not have anyone know me and start fresh as Ange. What I really was experiencing was God stripping away the layers of who I thought I was and taking away what I thought I needed in my life to be me. It was painful and ugly, not something you really want to experience but it was much needed. I envision it as a planting of sorts. I went underground for a time, dormant even, dying to some stuff in my life and now my roots are going down deep, it’s time to emerge again.

So my word for 2016 is Flourish. Merriam Webster defines flourish as this:

1: to grow luxuriantly :thrive
2a: to achieve success :prosper<a flourishing business>b: to be in a state of activity or production <flourished around 1850>c: to reach a height of development or influence
3: to make bold and sweeping gestures

Google says this:

(of a person, animal, or other living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.
“wild plants flourish on the banks of the lake”
- develop rapidly and successfully.
- “the organization has continued to flourish”
- (of a person) be working or at the height of one’s career during a specified period.
- “the caricaturist and wit who flourished in the early years of this century”
2.
(of a person) wave (something) around to attract the attention of others.
““Happy New Year!” he yelled, flourishing a bottle of whiskey”
Some synonyms of flourish: bloom, blossom, thrive, do well, develop

On my mind for 2016 has been a lot about growing, coming into my own, re-emerging if you will. I can’t quite put into words what I want to say but blooming comes to mind. I have felt it these past few months, my joy coming back, my energy for life, the dancing in the kitchen and singing songs out of tune, laughing, feeling feelings again and just feeling ALIVE! But also some different things about me that weren’t there before, I’m definitely not who I was a few years ago.

So my verse for this year is Psalm 92:12-15

But the godly will flourish like palm trees
    and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
¹³For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
    They flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
    they will remain vital and green.
¹⁵They will declare, “The Lord is just!
    He is my rock!
    There is no evil in him!”

And I found it fitting while searching google images I came across a chalkboard sign for my verse and when I clicked on it, it brought me to an etsy shop where right next to my verse for this year, I found my verse from two years ago! Isn’t that just like God?

You know what I’ll be purchasing soon, both of these prints! So there you have it friends, my word for this year. I’m a little scared and really excited to see what this new year brings!

Do you have a word for 2016? I would love to hear about it! Post a link or your word in the comments!