I've been thinking a lot about a single word.
What word you ask?
Well now, don't rush me we will get there.
What word you ask?
Well now, don't rush me we will get there.
For the past 4 years I have picked a New Years Word.
Rather than focusing on goals and things of that nature, (which are all well and good I"m just not of that cloth anymore) for some time now I have prayed for God to give me a single word that would serve as a reminder all year through of something HE would want to do in my life.
I love words so this New Year's tradition kinda stuck with me like white on rice, like peanut butter and jelly, like coffee and some cream.
Ok moving on....
Rather than focusing on goals and things of that nature, (which are all well and good I"m just not of that cloth anymore) for some time now I have prayed for God to give me a single word that would serve as a reminder all year through of something HE would want to do in my life.
I love words so this New Year's tradition kinda stuck with me like white on rice, like peanut butter and jelly, like coffee and some cream.
Ok moving on....
Last year my word was Peace and little did I know how much I was really going to need some hard core, big time, heaping spoonfuls of Peace in my life last year.
The reminder of that word may have prompted quite a few prayers that I otherwise wouldn't have thought to cry out for.
Some of those prayers might have sounded like this....
Hey God, what the HELL is going on ?
HELP!!!
I need me some PEACE up in here!!
There were moments last year that I thought it literally felt at times like the least peaceful year of my life.
With a house full of young teenagers who are full of their own ideas and have a healthy amount of independence encroaching everyday more and more, I'm sure you can imagine what I might be talking about.
Sometimes my house literally became somewhat of a battle zone last year as I was learning to let go.
In the midst of it, and now looking back God knew that I would need his PEACE to be with me last year as I learned how to parent in a whole new way.
There were other things as well that tried to rob me of the peace that surpasses all understanding, but God was faithful and his peace never left.
He did a great work with all the crap that went down last year there were some things that came out of the crappy fires of life that now I see as his hand alone never leaving me, never forsaking what he promised.
As I began to pray about what word could serve as a reminder to me this year I was a little hesitant because choosing PEACE last year and then having almost the opposite happen all around me was a little intimidating.
But a few weeks back I read this scripture:
The reminder of that word may have prompted quite a few prayers that I otherwise wouldn't have thought to cry out for.
Some of those prayers might have sounded like this....
Hey God, what the HELL is going on ?
HELP!!!
I need me some PEACE up in here!!
There were moments last year that I thought it literally felt at times like the least peaceful year of my life.
With a house full of young teenagers who are full of their own ideas and have a healthy amount of independence encroaching everyday more and more, I'm sure you can imagine what I might be talking about.
Sometimes my house literally became somewhat of a battle zone last year as I was learning to let go.
In the midst of it, and now looking back God knew that I would need his PEACE to be with me last year as I learned how to parent in a whole new way.
There were other things as well that tried to rob me of the peace that surpasses all understanding, but God was faithful and his peace never left.
He did a great work with all the crap that went down last year there were some things that came out of the crappy fires of life that now I see as his hand alone never leaving me, never forsaking what he promised.
As I began to pray about what word could serve as a reminder to me this year I was a little hesitant because choosing PEACE last year and then having almost the opposite happen all around me was a little intimidating.
But a few weeks back I read this scripture:
"So here's what I want you to do, God Helping you:
Take your everyday, ordinary life- your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life- and place it before God as an offering.
EMBRACING what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to it's level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you"
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to it's level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you"
That is in the Message Version of the Bible, another version of this scripture from the Amplified Version reads like this:
"I appeal to you therefore, brethren and (sisterthen), and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting all your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world(this age) [fashioned after and adapted to it's external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind [by it's new ideals and its new attitude] so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in HIS sight for you].
Romans 12: 1-2
As I was letting the first version marinate in my bones I became SO inspired.
I thought about how everything that I do with this earthly vessel I am given is something that matters to God.
Sleeping, eating, going to work, grocery shopping, doing mountains of laundry, and just plain ole walking around.... It ALL matters to the Lover of My Soul.
I was reminded once again that every detail of this little life matters.
Sometimes, I forget that very important detail to this re-born life.
I forget that every cry in my heart, every passion I've been given, every friendship, every word I speak or that is spoken to me it all matters.
The enemy of our souls would like us to believe that is the furthest thing from the truth, but Oh beloved reader don't believe that because it is a total, and utter LIE from the pit of H E double Hockey Sticks!
I decided in that moment to EMBRACE that love.
His LOVE.
Simply LOVE.
In that moment I was overcome with a flood from that kind of attention.
That the God of the Universe would care about little ole' me still trips me out.
I'm blown away by His faithfulness, His unending pursuit to simply LOVE me.
The love of Jesus is beyond what I can even express in words and it penetrates through every lie spoken, or perceived about myself.
"YOUR LOVE IS LIFTING ME ABOVE ALL THE LIES"
So that my beloved reader is my New Year's word
EMBRACE.
This year I'm choosing to Embrace fully the LOVE of my Savior and not allow this world to come and rob, kill or destroy the work that the Lover of my Soul has been doing and will continue to do with this stinky flesh until the day I die.
I'm going to embrace the love of my Savior around every corner this year.
I want to remember that when my daughter graduates, I can embrace that moment full of his love and securely know that she will be in his hands as she has been since the day she was born.
I will embrace his love, and trust HIM the moment my other daughter turns 16 and drives a car for the first time.
I am determined to fully embrace his love and rest in it the day my oldest son starts High School this year.
And I won't be listening to the lies that would cause this heart to have fear about my future because his love that I will be embracing will lift me higher than fear.
I'm gonna EMBRACE it all!!
This crazy roller coaster called life.
Embracing all that God has for me this year is what I want to do.
