As has been my tradition for the last three years I have selected a word that I will seek to define this upcoming year in my life. Selecting this year’s word is rooted in what I desire to remind myself continuously. We can all admit the truth that 2020 was a year unlike many of us have ever felt or endured. My #OneWord of 2020 was Heart. It was for sure a heart defining year, it was a year in which all of us had experienced some form of significant altering in our life’s rhythm.
There has been plenty of heartbreaks and an equal number of heartfelt joys…I can say in all sincerity that this past year may have been one of the most significant in the course of my life. It has left me with a definite choice for the coming year. I could wallow in self-pity, replay mistakes of the past, reject hope, and even retreat from living a fruitful life. OR I could choose to RISE as a new creation. I can…no…I will RISE; not by own strength but from the strength of a father and creator who loves and knows me more than I know my own-self.
What is powerful about this image of rising is that, in an almost contradictory sense, we can only RISE after we have fallen. We can only know the joy and true fulfillment of rising if only we have experienced the opposite…failure and moments of defeat. Yet, we must remember it is never the rough moment that makes or defines us as a person. Rather, it is what we choose to do afterwards that defines us. 2021 is a New Year, we can be rest assured that it will not be easy, gosh 2020 taught us that, but it will be a year of great fruit if we allow it to be!
2021 is OUR YEAR…let us challenge ourselves to RISE this year, further than we thought possible. Let us promise to RISE during each occasion which presents a formidable challenge and refuse to give up on ourselves. We set the standard, so set it high and let’s begin the RISE!
Below is my personal 2021 RISE Playlist to get myself re-centered on my #OneWord2021:
- Rise by Danny Gokey
2. Its Not Over Yet by for King & Country
3. RISE ft. The Glitch Mob, Mako, and The Word Alive
4. Higher by The Score
5. Miracle by Unspoken
Thank you for reading and growing with me in 2021! Take care friends!
Perennial Educator 