Every month Lisa Burgess issues a challenge to those of us who are sharing our one-word journeys this year. What follows is the April Challenge:

My WOTY is ENCOURAGEMENT

TALK TO SOMEONE

Start a conversation with somebody about your word. See what it means to them. Ask how it works in their life. Share your own thoughts with them.

Every time I publish something about encouraging others or about how God has sent encouragers my way, I am blessed. As the year progresses, I have been reminded over and over again that I can never outgive God.

LOOK AT ITS OPPOSITE

Sometimes knowing what our word does NOT mean can help us understand what it does mean. Look up the antonyms of your word this month. Get any insights?

annoyance
discouragement
distrust
doubt
gloom
hindrance
hurt
injury
disbelief
impediment
denunciation
derision
deterrent

SHARE YOUR ART

If you created any artwork or graphics from our 40-day challenge (or anytime), share them with someone in person or with us online. Add them to the linkup, in our Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @onewordcommunity. We want to see!

CLICK HERE for my 40-Day Lenten Challenge to see the “creative” things that I did.

SMALL GROUP IDEA

Can you find a song or a quote or a book suggestion that includes SOMEONE ELSE’S word from your group? Discover something to share with your small group.

A computer glitch left me out of the original small group assignments. Once this was discovered, Lisa quickly added me to a group. The other ladies had already “met” and decided to use WhatsApp for their “meetings” and the consensus was to only check-in once month. We started out ok but now I am the only one who is still posting in the group.

I suspect that the lack of participation can be attributed to a couple of factors. I am the only regular blogger in the group and there is only one other person who regularly contributes to the One-Word 2022 Facebook group. These are not criticisms. I can unknowingly put unrealistic expectations on myself and others which can quickly lead to disappointment and hard feelings.

Do you see why God gave me the word ENCOURAGEMENT for 2022? I sure do! I need to continue to practice lifting others up no matter what is going on inside of me.

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BONUS (Not part of Lisa’s Challenge)

I just had to share a couple of conversations that I have had with people from church this month. You may remember that in December I spoke about the spiritual transformation that comes with selecting a word-of-the-year. I later found out that a couple of the other ladies had already selected a WOTY for 2022.

Now on to the conversations:

🗣️“Liz” was headed to the basement to do laundry the other day when she clearly heard God say, “WAIT”. She immediately stopped on the stairs and just listened. In the silence she heard a strange cough coming from her granddaughter’s room. In an instant she realized that her granddaughter was choking on a piece of plastic. A couple of quick blows on the child’s back dislodged the object and her breathing returned to normal. As “Liz” shared this story with me we both had tears in our eyes. In that moment we were reminded that God gave each of us our word for a specific purpose. I shudder to think what would have happened if “Liz” had not WAITed at the top of the stairs.

🗣️ Is there anyone else in your household who is also chooses a WOTY? One mom in our congregation took the challenge seriously. Not only did she choose a WOTY, her husband and children did as well. I am told that family members are often heard reminding each other to “do their word” instead of whatever “negative” behavior may be displayed in the moment. How cool is that!!