I know what you’re thinking, but this “F!” doesn’t mean what you think it does.

This “F!” is from my love language catalogue: Fun.

When I first heard my One Word 2016, hope swelled within me, but then I wondered if it was too good to be true. I am three-quarters full-of-faith and one-quarter plagued-with-doubt. I requested a Scripture confirmation, and I received this:

"Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he." -Isaiah 41:4

At once I understood the connection of the reference to the word: God declares himself in this Scripture, a fact immutable against my faith or doubt. He’s been calling and pursuing and walking alongside me for decades, even when circumstances were hard. The mundane and the miraculous belong to him. Having fun feels miraculous when it’s ordained by God.

I learned through 2015’s One Word, peace, that any promise of the Lord doesn’t just apply itself through faith triumphing over doubt, but also through belief and action. We can’t just spiritually concede to a word, we must also mentally commit to making it a part of our lifestyles. As much as our One Words feel like promises, they’re also choices.

Peace announced itself boldly at the end of a year full of tumult in the midst of blessings. Just as Peter learned trust by walking on the waves, and people learn patience by waiting, I learned to confront adversity and its root, and I saw this Scripture fulfilled in my life:

"I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land." -Leviticus 26:6

In 2015, I experienced peace by working through my anxiety. I worked through my anxiety by confronting situations I wanted to change. I fulfilled God’s promise over me for the year by agreeing with him—spiritually and mentally. It wasn’t easy, but it felt worth it. And now I know how to fight for what both I and the Lord want.

Fun for me implies adventures and deeper relationships and increased opportunities and continued pursuits. These promises are embedded in faith because my heart, mind, and soul belong to him. Jesus actively pursues us, and so we actively pursue our purposes in Him.

“Fun” also means fun!—in the sarcastic, silly, and mildly inappropriate ways people who know me enjoy. There’s an emoji for it: ?

Here’s to adventure and belonging in 2016; here’s to pursuing those long-hoped for opportunities.  Here’s to being myself. Here’s to relying on an everlasting God to be who He says He is: God.

Here’s to having fun this year.

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