Last year I started the practice of choosing a word for the year. This is where you pick a word to help guide your decisions and focus for the year, and is in an area you feel you need growth in. Last year my word was “trust”.
This year my word is “Prayer“. Throughout the year I will be focusing more on prayer, both in daily practice and studying what prayer really is and how to truly pray effectively. I have just started reading How To Pray In A Crisis by Daniel Henderson, and plan on reading other books on prayer throughout the year.
Praying is something that I have always struggled with. Not so much in actually taking time to pray (although that is a struggle sometimes), but in know what to pray for and how to do it. I feel guilty about praying for myself, especially when there are others in this world that are so much worse off than I am. My goal for this year is get a deeper understanding of prayer, and use it to strengthen my relationship with God.