If you could grab a cup of coffee with your future self, what would you say to him or her? Stop for a second and think about that opportunity. The person you are going to become a year from now is sitting in front of you and is hanging on your every word. What do you want them to know about all the emotions, expectations and fears you harbored when you began the My One Word journey? How will you encourage them to see the growth which occurred in their character as well as challenge them in those places they let slip?

Chances are good your name isnt Marty McFly and you dont cruise around town in a DeLorean, so heading “back to the future” to encourage your future self seems like an idea stuck in the realm of fantasy. But, not so fast; there is hope. There is a possibility in which present-day you can travel into the future with a message from your past, coming in the form of a letter. The time travel journey begins by writing a letter today to your future self with the intention of opening it up a year from now. When your future self reads those words, it will be as if the letter is a visit from the past. In essence, you are creating a time capsule to capture Gods faithfulness.

We understand how intimidating this assignment sounds. After all, where does one even begin to capture everything you might want to communicate? How do you begin to figure out the main things you hope your future self would understand after speaking with you? In all likelihood, there are also some who doubt the overall effectiveness which writing a letter to your future self holds. In their eyes, it just serves as a futile exercise of cheesiness.

To relieve both fears and doubts, we want you to see the wealth of insight which can be gained by capturing your thoughts down on paper. By writing a letter to your future self you are articulating the picture of the person you believe God wants you to become through your One Word. As you read this letter a year from now, you are able to compare the person who you were to the person you are currently. This enables you to pinpoint reasons why growth flourished in one area while another aspect remained stagnant. Writing a letter also gives you a glimpse into the change that occurred in between. This activity will battle our natural tendency to forget Gods faithfulness by helping us witness the transformation which occurred only by His grace and through the Holy Spirit working inside us. Now, take a moment and go back to the future.

• Using the online word journal, write a letter to your future self that you will read a year from now. Make a note in a calendar or day planner to remind you to open this journal entry in 365 days. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about what you will write to yourself: (1) What led you to choose your One Word? (2) How do you hope God will move in your life in the upcoming year? (3) What do you hope to learn about Gods faithfulness through this experience? (4) How have you begun to arrange your life for growth to occur? (5) How will you be able to measure whether or not you have grown?

Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010.  If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal — log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!