Why I Chose “Praise-Giving” as My One Word for the New Year
Why I chose praise-giving as my one word for the New Year—and how this simple focus is shaping my faith, gratitude, and daily walk with Jesus.
We all love the idea of choosing just one word instead of carrying the weight of a long list of resolutions. There’s something freeing about focusing on a single, grace-filled direction rather than striving to fix everything at once.
This past year, I chose a hyphenated phrase—one that brings together a noun and a verb—to form a word that reflects the direction I sense the Lord is leading me. It isn’t about achievement or self-improvement, but about attentiveness to where He is gently guiding my heart.
For many years now, I’ve spent New Year’s Eve quietly with the Lord, my Bible open and a notebook nearby. In the days and weeks that follow, I study my chosen word, search for related Scriptures, and meditate on how God is inviting me to live it out in my everyday life.
Each year, I’m amazed at how faithfully the Lord weaves His truth into my story. Little by little, almost without my noticing, He shapes my heart and draws me closer—making me more like Him, one year and one word at a time.
Why Choose One Word Over Resolutions
You might love writing goal-oriented resolutions—and that’s okay. I used to do that too, and I even shared about that season of my life here. There is nothing wrong with setting goals, but over time, I discovered that choosing one word gives clarity and focus to everything else.
When you choose one word, your resolutions are no longer scattered. Instead, they’re gathered under a single theme. You’re focusing on one character trait the Lord is shaping, one area where you’re inviting His refining work. That’s why this year I chose a hyphenated noun and verb—two words working together to describe the kind of change I’m longing for.
Because the truth is, I want change in my life.
More than anything, I want more of Jesus.
Focusing on just one thing helps you move toward it with intention and grace. It’s so easy to feel discouraged by a long list of resolutions that remain unfinished. But one word keeps calling you back—gently, faithfully—day after day.
If you’ve never chosen just one word before, I have a feeling you’re going to love this simple, grace-filled practice.
Only One Life to Live
Our lives are like a vapor. Whether we live into our nineties or only a handful of short years, life passes more quickly than we ever expect. One moment, we’re looking ahead, and the next, we’re wondering where the time went.
When I was younger, I truly believed I would always be young. Days slipped into weeks, weeks into years—and before I realized it, many years had quietly passed.
Even when we come to Christ early in life, it’s often later that we begin to understand the seriousness and sacredness of the time we’ve been given. Wisdom tends to grow as time moves on, sometimes arriving with a gentle ache for the years that went by too quickly.
That’s why I want to lovingly challenge you to take your life seriously—not with fear or pressure, but with purpose. You have been entrusted with one precious life, one story to steward, one journey to walk with Jesus.
And today—right now—is a beautiful place to begin.
Why Praise-Giving?
Because I often forget to praise God.
I wanted my word this year to change me—to call me into action. Praise-giving describes what I long to do and who I want to become. It takes praise out of the abstract and gives it movement. It brings it to life.
As mothers, many of us get caught in the daily grind—dishes, laundry, meals, and an endless cycle of cleaning. We can feel stuck in the season we’re in, unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The days feel long. The work feels unseen.
And if we’re honest, that weariness can spill over. We become short-tempered with our husbands or impatient with our children. The hours stretch on, and the weight of our trials feels heavy to carry.
In those moments, it’s easy to slip into murmuring and complaining—to drift toward discouragement, even despair, over circumstances we didn’t choose and can’t quickly change.
I know this place well. I’ve been there too.
That’s why I want to practice being a praise-giving woman—one who learns to praise God here and now, so that when I stand in His presence someday, praise won’t feel unfamiliar or awkward. I want it to be the natural overflow of a life already shaped by gratitude and worship.
But here’s the humbling truth: as much as I need to grow in praising God more, I also need to grow in praising the people He has placed around me.
And that kind of praise?
It has the power to change everything.
3 Verses on Praise-Giving
My praise-giving should be directed Godward first.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3
As I look on Jesus each morning, I am more apt to reflect His likeness through all that I do and say.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
This verse is a good reminder of how we can look at those around us. How easy it is to focus on the negative instead of what is praise-worthy in others. That is another reason I want to be a person who learns to be praise-giving.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8
Praise in All Things
love choosing a hyphenated word for another reason. Turning a verb into an adjective means it doesn’t stay passive—it modifies everything I do. It puts movement behind intention and turns faith into action.
Praise isn’t meant to be something I only offer during prayer.
I’m praying that I would be transformed into someone who carries praise on her lips—in the way I pray, the songs I sing, the words I speak, and even the messages I type. I want praise to be woven into the ordinary moments of life, not reserved for sacred spaces alone.
In other words, praise can’t be confined to a box. It’s an out-of-the-box expression of a heart shaped by time with Jesus—spilling into my day, influencing my responses, and reflecting a life continually turned toward Him.
That’s the kind of praise-giving life I’m asking God to form in me.
Why You Should Be a Praise-Giver
Regardless of what resolutions you make or which one word you choose for the new year, I want to encourage you to become a praise-giver too.
Some days feel dark and heavy. The clouds linger, and hope feels distant.
Maybe your relationship with your husband is strained, and you find yourselves caught in a painful cycle of negative reactions. Or perhaps the tension is with one of your children, and your heart feels weary from trying—and trying again.
So often, we’re tossed around by our circumstances, unsure where to turn, feeling unseen and without encouragement.
But Jesus knows your deepest cares. He sees what weighs on your heart, and He invites you to bring it all to Him in prayer. Nothing is too small. Nothing is too heavy.
When you choose to be a praise-giver—even in the middle of difficulty—it has a way of lifting your eyes above the struggle. Praise doesn’t deny the pain, but it does remind your heart of who God is and where your true help comes from.
And sometimes, that shift is exactly what we need to breathe again.
Be a Praise-Giving Prayer-Warrior this Year!
Let’s step into a year that turns our lives—and the lives of those around us—upside down in the very best way. A year shaped by life-giving, hyphenated words that deepen how we pray and draw us closer to Jesus.
Let’s ask God for the unseen, eternal things—the kind that transform our hearts and shape us into His likeness. May everything we pray be modified by a deeper desire for Christ and a life marked by praise.
I would be honored if you would pray for me as I write in the coming year, and please know that I will be praying for you as well. Let’s ask our Father to make this our best year yet—not because life will be easy, but because it will be full of Christ-exalting, praise-giving moments as we draw near to Him.
Do you tend to make a list of resolutions, or do you choose One Word for the New Year? I’d love to hear how you’re intentionally walking with Jesus.
Let’s encourage one another as we go. 💛
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