I read several bloggers who have adopted one word that they hope will characterize their lives in 2013, and that got me thinking about my own “one word.” Like any good English major, trying to come up with just ONE word was torture. (Side note – I started writing for a missions magazine not long after graduating college, and going from writing 25 page papers with a thesaurus in hand to writing 500 word articles where every word must count nearly killed me. But, I digress.)
After several days of thinking, praying, thinking some more, praying some more, I finally came up with my one word…
More.
Last year felt strange and difficult. I lost my mother after a nearly three-year fight with cancer. Some of our closest friends moved away the next month. Other friendships seemed to fall by the wayside, and some dried up altogether. I wrote less, read less, and felt like some of my purpose had disappeared.
And then, God prompted us to serve more, give more, live for Him more. And my attitude toward my circumstances began to change.
That is what I hope will continue into this fresh, new year. I want more…
- Jesus – more of His compassion, grace, gospel, mission
- my husband and son – more romance, more patience, more quality time together, more memories
- books – I want to read more. Good fiction takes me somewhere else for a while, good nonfiction inspires me to be better and strive for more. (Another side note – I used to read almost 50 books a year. Last year I read 12. No wonder my brain feels like mush.)
- healthy living. I enjoyed the holiday fare ever so much. It is now time to exercise and drink water.
- dreaming – hoping, planning, praying for the future.
- connecting. Reaching out to community – both for my sake and theirs.
- risk. This is a hard one for me. I like to play it safe. I want to challenge myself to do one scary thing every day.
Here’s what this list does NOT include – more perfectionism (I am a type A, perfectionist control freak with a problem) or more stuff (excess, things, trinkets). In fact, I want to strive for LESS of these.
Yes, they are lofty goals. Feel free to hold me accountable and ask me how I am doing.
How about you? Do you have any goals (or maybe one word) for 2013?
Apryl Taylor Herrell said:
That is a great choice. I think we could all use more of those things. (and after playing Words with Friends with you, I know that coming up with just ONE word had to be a struggle!) I’ll be praying for you this year too.
Kristin Taylor said:
I can relate to this! My word is IMPERFECT, as in let go of perfection and embrace imperfection so God can truly perfect me. And my perfect, I mean grow and mature me. 🙂
Chick Flick Diva said:
I really enjoyed your post today. I have always wanted to read 50 books in a year. I have yet to meet that goal but you inspire me to try. If you are looking for a really good book to read then I suggest The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. It aligns with all that your are praying for this year. If you ever have a book club, don’t hesitate to post – I would love to join it. My word for the year is Orphans – I want to visit them, send care packages and nurture them through the adoption process.
Jenn Hand said:
thanks for joining us God sized dreamers! those are some awesome goals! I love the word /More. It makes me think of Ephesians 3:20 and How God has planned more for us then we can ask or imagine!
sonyamacdesigns said:
Thanks for the MORE post … may our FATHER continue to bless and keep you and yours as we journey together in a team like fashion.
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Anne said:
I really love your word, Beth! Happy you’re a part of the Dream team. Can’t wait to see how God fills your 2013!
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