Adore: My Word for 2019

Part of my walk with the Lord the last few years is to focus in on a word each year, or He will highlight a character trait that He wants to show me/teach me throughout the year. 

As we inched closer to 2019, I asked the Lord for my word for the new year. The word He gave was: 

ADORE

And of course I thought it was just because at Christmas time we sing “O come let us adore him” so many times that my mind was just hearing that word over and over. But after church I was sharing with my parents, then I quickly realized it was the word He wanted to focus on this year. 

My next step was to research what adore means. 

Definitions: 

To worship and honor

To regard with loving admiration and devotion

To love or admire someone very much

To regard with the utmost esteem, love and respect

To pay divine honor to

Synonyms: 

cherish, love, worship, revere, glorify, admire, prize, treasure, exalt, honor

 

I was easily able to see why this would be my word for 2019.

My prayer for the year: 

My heart is to adore You, Your Word, and being with You. To adore who You are and to adore your people, including myself. And to allow myself to grasp the depth of Your adoration of me. 

---

 

And in just the first weeks of January, I have seen the Lord faithfully walk me through a few layers of what adoration looks like.

To realize adoration is a verb that I choose.

To intentionally choose to honor, love, worship and admire Him.

Because, let’s be honest, it is so easy to choose other things or other people to set my adoration on. But my time with the Lord has been so sweet and something that I am eager to pursue each day. To allow myself to figure out in what ways I will choose to love and to worship the Lord each new day. It is different every day, which keeps me on my toes, but in the best way possible. 

 

Tonight, it looked like slowing down to put into words these thoughts and new understandings. To formulate it into the structure of a poem. 

 

ADORE 

To love, to cherish

To choose to set my affection on.

 

Undistracted,

pure,

all encompassing worship.

 

To praise in an

overflowing

way, without concern

or hindrance.

 

To testify of Your goodness,

of Your character. 

To set my gaze on You.

To release my spirit to

sing

move

shout

stand

sit

clap

dance

release

simply be

in

Your 

Presence.

To adore You. 

 

Such freedom

found in seeking to be with You.

Easily found, at any place

or in any moment

You are here and there.

 

But its my choice to engage in worship. 

Do I allow my spirit to pursue adoration?

Will I say yes?

 

Finding myself at peace in choosing yes. 

Yielded to Your love,

surrounded by Your peace,

submerged in Your joy. 

Caught up in adoration of Your grace and affection

for me.

Welcome in Your presence

able to be myself

loved 

as I am.

 

Humbled to worship,

to be chosen,

to be Your favorite.

 

How can I not respond

in

adoration

of 

You?