2017 ONE WORD RECAP

My One Word for 2017 was marriage. I choose this word not because my husband and I were having trouble, but because I wanted to focus on my marriage more. Everywhere I looked the past 6 or so years, I saw marriages ending. But what struck me was the majority of the marriages I saw ending were Christian couples who were right around their 20th year of marriage. Many of these couples were even in pastoral or leadership roles. That reality hit me hard. 2017 was the year my husband and I would celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. It almost scared me.

My husband and I weren't having any troubles, we weren't on rocky ground. But I wanted to focus on my marriage. I am not naive enough to think my marriage is exempt from trouble when these other marriages are failing.

My plan for 2017 was to:

1. pray harder over my marriage and for my husband
2. date my husband more
3. intentionally think of him throughout the day and let him know I was thinking of him
4. read marriage books by trusted pastors and authors
5. become my husband's biggest cheerleader
6. be kinder to my husband

So, how did I do?

Good and bad.

1. I prayed daily over my marriage and my husband. I wrote his name out in my quiet time journal each day thanking God for him.
2. My husband and I didn't date more like I had hoped. However, we did take a weekend trip just the 2 of us. That is the first time we had been away alone since our 10 year anniversary, and before that was our wedding night. We loved the time away and decided that it needed to be a yearly thing, not an every 10 year thing!
3. I often text my husband while he is at work, sometimes a longer message and sometimes just a heart. When I do this, I pray for him as well. I also was more intentional with texting or calling him to ask if he needed anything while I was out.
4. I was hoping to read 10-12 marriage books and I only read 5.
5. I strive to be my husband's biggest cheerleader, but I definitely need to grow here.
6. Again, I strive to be kinder to my husband but I still need to grow here.

Each area I wanted to work on had some improvement, but there is still so much room for growth. What I did learn is that it is a continual process. Even had I done incredible with my One Word for 2017, I still would need to continue striving and growing. I don't think we ever "arrive" in our marriage. I will continue to work on these areas in my marriage and pray that I continue to grow. I also learned the importance of time away with my husband. Our weekend trip was incredible and we are already looking forward to our 2018 weekend away. Marriage was an incredible word to focus on last year and I am so thankful I choose it.

So friends, what was your 2017 word? How did you do? Did you stick to it? Did you see growth? Are you going to continue to work in this area? Share your experiences in the comments!

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Are you looking for a way to help your daughter engage more in the Word of God this year? The Beautiful Word Coloring Bible for Girls is a great option! This Bible is so pretty! And with hundreds of inspiring verses illustrated in detailed, ready to color art, the Beautiful Word Coloring Bible for Girls is going to capture your girl. Not only are there ready to color pages, there are also wide margins lightly lined for your girl to express herself through art or journaling. Not only is the cover so pretty, but the hard leather is made it last.

While this Bible was created just for girls ages 8–12, any girl or woman would love it. Seriously, I considered keeping it for myself!