Last August, shortly after we took Lilly to college for the first time and began adjusting to life with a slightly emptier nest, my blog started acting up.

It wasn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of life. People who left comments couldn’t see them unless they were using a mobile device.

But since I value communication with any reader who takes the time to leave a thought or two, it was frustrating.

The problem, it turns out, was somewhere in the coding of the blog’s theme (all the files and templates that make up the site’s appearance and function). And since the theme designer apparently is no longer in business, I had two choices: hire a contractor to fix the code or give the blog a (long overdue) makeover with a completely new theme.

I chose the second option and eventually found a design that met all my criteria—clean, simple and up-to-date, with a working comments section. Along with the fresh look (that purposefully resembles the old one quite a bit), I decided a new name also was in order.

As I wrote last week, I loved the blog’s original title (“Waxing Gibbous: Reflections on Life and Faith by Lois Flowers”) and all that it meant to me when I started blogging six years ago. Over the years, though, I’ve gotten a clearer sense of who I’m writing to and why, and I’ve often thought about changing the name to reflect that.

I brainstormed a bit and solicited feedback from some thoughtful friends and family members. Eventually, I settled upon the first phrase I thought of when I began this process: Strength for Today • Hope for Tomorrow.

These six words, which you may recognize as a slightly altered line from one of the great hymns of the faith, represent my ultimate goal for every story and bit of insight I share here, week after week.

I welcome readers from every season and age category, but my heart—even when I was much younger—has always been drawn to people in the middle and later years of life. My own journey these last several years—including the profound experience of watching my parents decline and enter eternity within five weeks of each other—has only deepened this passion.

Here’s what I believe: As long as we’re here on planet Earth, God has work for us to do. We’re still useful to Him, no matter how old we are, what we feel on any given day or what we imagine anyone else thinks about us and our ability to contribute to society.

It can be a struggle, though—perhaps even a battle—to believe this and live like it. It requires divine strength and eternal hope. And so I write, one pilgrim to another, in an effort to encourage us both as we navigate the long walk home together.

Which brings me to my word of the year for 2021. I was driving to the grocery store in early October when it quietly slipped into my head.

Strength.

I knew it instantly. That’s it, that’s my new word, I thought.

Honestly, though, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first.

Why is strength my word? I wondered. Is something terrible going to happen in 2021 that will require me to be strong? 

That’s not necessarily an unreasonable question. But since one of my current spiritual goals is learning to let tomorrow worry about itself, I decided to stop that train of thought right in its tracks.

Now, all these weeks later, I’m more curious than anything about how God is going to use this rich, multi-faceted word in my life in this new year.

The scriptures tell us that God is our strength and our shield, our strength and our song, our refuge and our strength. They assure us that He is the “strength of [our] heart, [our] portion forever.” (Psalm 28:7, Exodus 15:2, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 73:26)

As if that were not enough, God actually gives us strength—or, as Psalm 18:32 so beautifully puts it, He “clothes” us with strength. Proverbs 31 alludes to this when describing the woman who fears God: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” (vs. 26, ESV)

There’s so much more, some of which I plan to write about in the coming months. For now, I’ll simply say that when I look ahead to the great unknown that is 2021, these biblical truths about strength fill me with hope, not dread or anxiety.

As 2 Thessalonians 3:3 reminds us, “The Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard [us] from the evil one.”

• • •

Have you chosen a word to guide you through 2021? If so, please share it in the comments. And a very Happy New Year to you all!

♥ Lois

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee, Inspire Me Monday, #HeartEncouragement and Grace & Truth.