What if It's Him... My Word for 2013

One of the authors I read often is Debbie Macomber.  I read on her blog that she had chosen a "word of the year."  I then noticed similar blog posts popping up as I was blog hopping one day.

I'm greatly doubting my faith lately.  Really struggling.  Throughout my faith journey there has been one major question that I've never been able to answer: How do you know when God is speaking to you?  How do you know what He is saying?  Some people say they hear a message from God.  That He lead them to do something.

How do we know?

How do you know?

Have you ever had the experience where a word, phrase, message, something repeatedly pops up in your life?  Sometimes I've felt that perhaps that, THAT is God speaking.  I've had one of those moments recently.  Starting with this whole "choose a word for the year" thing.

I thought to myself that this might be a cool thing.  Perhaps I need a "word" that symbolizes what my 2013 will be about.  But how do you pick one word?  ONE word that will encompass 365 days?

What will this word do?  Inspire?  Rally? Or will it bring disappointment?  Discontentment if it's not achieved?

I was struggling to choose a word.  I've seen submit, June, up, brave, ask, beloved, enriched and many others.  Each ringing true to the person who chose it.  Somewhere along the line I read the word reclaim.  And it hit me.  This.  This seven letter word just might be mine.

After reading some of the others I started to question reclaim.  Beloved and brave rang true to.  I could waver back and forth for days.  For weeks.  For months before I choose.  But I want to choose now.

So I'm going with my gut reaction.  And that is to stick with reclaim.  I may not quite know why yet.

But my word for 2013, my light through the tunnel, my path through the woods... is reclaim.

 Have you chosen a word for 2013?  What is it?

There are many things in life that can wait... but The Sunset Won't.