Today I Argued With God

Today I argued with God. 

I disagreed with the Creator of the universe. Bold, I know. 

I sat down to choose my Word of the Year for 2024. This is the third year I’ve chosen a word, and with the help of Legacy Roots Co guide, choosing a word for my year has really helped my spiritual life flourish. There have been many times that I’ve lacked clarity on what to do in my life, and my word of the year helps to stabilize my decision making a bit. 

When I sat down to reflect and choose a word for this new year, I knew the power it had to transform my thinking because of my experience in 2022 and 2023. I love how being intentionally focused on one word or concept can have an impact beyond just its definition. This year, before I even opened the Word of the Year guide, I knew what my word was going to be. 

And I didn’t like it. 

I had been reflecting for about four weeks already. I processed through my year for the whole month of December, asking and answering questions like:

• What anxious thoughts do I have about following God’s call?
• What necessary changes do I feel compelled to make in my life?
• What brings me energy and joy?
• What has been weighing me down?

Through journaling the answers to these, the word came to me pretty clearly. But I didn’t like it. 

So I tried again. I went through the Word of the Year guide as if I didn’t have a word in mind yet. I even came up with a second word that still encapsulated some of the meaning of the first word, but sounded better. I at least liked this word. It had less baggage and negative connotations attached to it. And it was a really good word, like definitely on a top ten list for a Word of the Year!

And yet, it wasn’t my word. 

God made it clear to me that while, yes, the word I wanted was a good word, it was not the word for my 2024. I already knew what my word was supposed to be. He had impressed it upon my heart, nestled in my consciousness weeks ago when I began reflecting on the year. The word was part of my soul now, as strong in my mind as my intuition. I just had to agree with God that this was the right word for me. 

Finally, I gave in. After arguing with him for weeks, I surrendered to what I knew God was asking me to do. It was a word for me, for my life, for my faith, and for my vocation. It’s the word that is going to guide me in 2024, giving me a clear call to action when I’m not sure what to do next. 

The word, fittingly, is submission. 

Today I argued with God. Then, I stubbornly surrendered in an act of submission.