Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. - Benjamin Franklin
One thing I did last year at the urging of several bloggers I read regularly was to pick a word that I felt God was pressing upon me to focus on for the new year. The word I chose then was "cultivate" and looking back now can see how that worked out in my life, particularly in the area of discovering and nurturing some of my gifts and dreams.
Now it's on to 2015.
As I write this, India has already ushered in the New Year while the rest of the world still waits to see the end of 2014. That always feels a little strange as someone who grew up in the US and the Apple falling in NYC signaled the end of one year and beginning of another. The end of an amazing 365 days for some; for others, the end of what may have been the toughest days of their lives. For most a mixture of both joy and pain is the norm, but in my short time on earth I can safely say no two years have ever looked the same.
For some days now I've been thinking of whether or not to choose one word again to focus on this year and what that word would even be. I can't say I was completely diligent with "cultivate" though somehow it fit quite nicely into the way life flowed last year-- through both high and low times.
Looking back on 2014 I can see growth in previously uncultivated areas, even during what I would call desert days (or weeks!) that lingered and made my heart ache. I think the looking back is important and I hope to do more over the next month with the help of some online tools I've found on other sites that give me the prompts I need to do some self-evaluation of the past and some dreaming for the future.
And a word. A new word for 2015.
My new word for 2015 is a bit bigger than I'm comfortable with but somehow it fits as there is no earthly way I can live up to it on my own. It's a God-sized word that I haven't ever given much thought to as my tendency is to do the opposite in the face opposition--mourn or despair. And this year has been full of opposition of all shapes and sizes and verbs and nouns and even some adjectives.
This year I'm welcoming 2015 completely as I know it will be full of changes for me and our family, particularly as we welcome baby #5 into our brood. Yes, you read that correctly, five. Prayers appreciated.
So without further adieu... My word for 2015 is REJOICE. (Isaiah 65:13-16)
Rejoice: be joyful, be happy, be pleased, be glad, be delighted, be elated, be ecstatic, be euphoric, be overjoyed, be as pleased as punch, be jubilant, be in raptures, be beside oneself with joy.
I'm excited to see how God uses this word in my life this year to change my heart and the way I respond to the not-so-pretty parts of life.
Now it's your turn. Over the next few days I invite you to take a few moments of quiet and pick a word you feel God is impressing on you for this year. And not only that, I would love for you to share it in the comments below so we can begin this blogging year being an encouragement to one another.
This year we plan to post every Monday and Thursday and for a little while longer, while Delhi is still cold and foggy, we're leaving our Christmas decor up a little while longer.
So, what's your word for 2015?
Photo Credit: Unsplash
So I've been thinking about this a bit and have finally come up with a word - so my word is 'Engage'. I can sometimes distance myself from relationships, situations, issues that have the potential to get messy or not work out the way I want them to! So this is to remind myself to engage and give it the best I can and not give up! Remind me when I forget
My one word for 2015 and also the coming years would be
''renounce''. I'm not sure if i can ever live up to it but it's something i really need to do. So here's to me.... renouncing.