I started 2018 by choosing the word “begin” as my word of the year. For weeks I wrote it in Sharpie on the inside of my wrist. But I didn’t actually know where to begin or what to do, and the idea of beginning started to fizzle. In the summer I chose a new word “chosen” to remind myself that God chose me. Right from the beginning. And that He had plans for me.
Then God put it on my heart that I was both “chosen” and that He wanted me to “begin.” Writing. That led me to Speakology, a conference for writers and speakers. And that conference drove me to (finally) jumping in with both feet and starting this blog.
In the last week, as 2018 came to a close, I felt God leading me toward new words like expand, increase, and enlarge. But none of those felt quite big enough. I don’t want to fade or fizzle in 2019. I don’t want to stay small and safe. I want to go all-out and all-in for God. I want to give Him more. So I’ve chosen the word “amplify.” Amplify just feels like all those words on steroids.
Vocabulary.com defines amplify as “crank(ing) up the volume.” That is what I want to do this year. Crank up the volume on my life. Amplify my time with God every day. Amplify everything good in my marriage. Amplify time with my family, giving our time together purpose while increasing both quality and quantity of time. Amplify my writing and increase my blog posts and the depth of my writing. Amplify my running, exercise, and eating well. Consistently. Amplify my friendships. Amplify giving of myself, my time, and my resources.
And so 2019 will be the year of living loud for God. Living unmastered, and imperfect, still growing, still learning, and making myself smaller so He can be heard magnified. Cranking up the volume of God in every part of my life.
John 3:30 says “He must increase, but I must decrease.” In other words, in my words, He must be amplified, but I must be simplified. I must simply live so that He can be heard through me.
Amplify will be written in Sharpie on my wrist in 2019. A reminder of Him and what He wants from me this year. What will your word of the year be?
Unmastered 
[…] just felt the Lord quietly encouraging me to rest. And this morning as I looked at the word “amplify” written on my arm in Sharpie, it became clear that I need to amplify rest. Enlarge rest. Magnify […]
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[…] I remembered how I chose the word “AMPLIFY” at the beginning of the year (read about it here) and how I vowed to amplify God this year and not let it fizzle. Even when it’s hard. Even when […]
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[…] year, my word just came upon me (You can read about that here). Amplify. I played around with other similar words, but as soon as I landed on amplify I knew it […]
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