One Word 2014

Why do I love blogging and people who blog? I've gotten so much great information. One of my fave ideas? The One Word of the year.

This is my third year of focusing on one word, and, I'll be honest, this year's took longer to come to me than the previous years', which were Trust and Dream. Maybe it was the house full of family; maybe I wasn't ready for my word. Who knows?

Three weeks ago I prayed for God to lead me to my word. Saturday, I grabbed my journal, my Bible, and my tiny book of passages. After thumbing through keywords, I jotted a handful down and read through the related passages. Then I read a few of my favorite chapters in the Bible. With my trusty purple pen, I wrote several passages in my journal. A theme arose.

I'm serious about my one word, so I bundled up and went to a nearby park. When I'm outside in nature I hear the Spirit without interruption. I crunched through the snow, wrapped my scarf tightly, and paused near a grouping of bird feeders. And I knew without doubt what my word for 2014 would be.

Peace.

Phillipians 4:6-7 (NIV)

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

This season of my life has brought a lot of unexpected stress. I bring some of it on myself by worrying about silly things. But the bottom line is that I've had to completely surrender to God the last two years, and it's scary. It's still scary!

I've seen so many of my prayers answered, but the big ones (and we all have big prayers, big dreams) have been on hold. When I've wanted to take matters in my own hands (get a part-time job, change the direction of my writing, fix my kids' problems...), I've deep-down known it was not God's will for me. So I'm sitting. Waiting. Writing. Praying. Trusting. Surrendering.

Sure, I could focus on "Miracles" or something about my personal goals, but God has something better for me. Peace in the midst of chaos. Peace in a long, long season of waiting. Peace in my relationships. Peace in our finances. Peace in my own shortcomings.

Instead of focusing on what I don't have or what I want, I can tell God what I need and thank him for all he has done. The thanking part is so important. It's easy to fixate on what I want or what's going wrong. But isn't it wonderful when we remember all we have? When we add up all the miracles already granted? God is such a good God!

I'm excited for 2014. No matter what happens, I know peace is just a prayer away.

What are you focusing on this year?

Have a peace-filled Monday!

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Anxiety and Heaven

I was driving last week and a number of issues pressed heavily on my heart. I thought, when does it get easier? I've been blessed with seasons where everything clicked. Sure, there were minor annoyances, but nothing that kept me up at night or never seemed to be resolved. I wanted one of those times back.

Golden fields of corn ready to harvest and the brilliant blue sky worsened my mood further. How could it look so perfect and my spirit be in such disarray?

It won't be like this in heaven. The outside will match my insides. It will be perfect. There won't be any more of these hard seasons.

I've never really longed for heaven. I like living on earth! But it hit me that my entire life I truly have been waiting for heaven--the place of perfection where we no longer experience the worries, pain, and fears of this world. I've been longing for that way of being pretty much every day of my life.

Think about it.

No more:

- Sticking my foot in my mouth
- Head colds
- Worries about my children
- Tears over lost friendships
- Regrets about things I could have done better
- Disharmony with my loved ones
- Loneliness
- Imperfection
- Mosquito bites

(Had to throw the last one in there.)

Anxiety is normal--no, I'm not recommending it! But someday all the pain we deal with will disappear, leaving us in the state we're meant to be in. With God. Forever.

2 Corinthians 5:4-5 (NIV)
" ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

(From The Bible Gateway--this is a wonderful resource to look up passages or terms in different translations. www.biblegateway.com)

Do you get weighed down by the anxieties of life? Keep praying!

Have a terrific weekend!!

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Filling Up on Faith

Sometimes life throws us twists and we don't know if they're positive or negative. They don't feel great, but there are other circumstances that make us wonder.

We don't have control over many things. It's hard not to have control.

But the closer I get to God, the more I understand He truly works everything out for our good.

I can praise Him for disappointments. I can trust He will work it out.

Romans 8:28 (NIV) "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

One of my favorite songs is by Jesus Culture. It's called, "One Thing Remains." You can listen to it if you click on the link and scroll down to the bottom of the playlist. It's a beautiful song, and I hope it fills you up the way it does for me!

Can you trust God with the iffy things in your life?

Have a terrific weekend!!

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Beginnings--Bible Style

We've been talking all month about beginnings, in books and in our lives. It made me think about how perfect the beginning of the Bible is.

Genesis 1:1 (NIV Version)

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Right away, I know when, who, and what. When? In the beginning. Who? God. What? Created the heavens and the earth.

There are no clever use of flashbacks, no meandering details of eternity before God created the heavens and the earth. Not even a disclaimer about why the book is being written. This first line states simple, clear facts, and, trust me, I want to keep reading.

I believe the Bible is God's word, that every word in the Bible is true, and that the Bible was written by divine inspiration by God's apostles. I remember discussing this with a fellow student one day in college and I was shocked and saddened when she claimed not to believe anything "written by a few monks back in the fifteen hundreds."

It's important to be informed. No, monks did not originate the Bible five hundred years ago. The Bible has existed in some form throughout the ages, whether as the ten commandments written on stone, later as individual books or letters on ancient scrolls, or in modern times with all of the books and letters bound together as chapters in one tome. It's a living history, with incredible details of various periods, with moral warnings, proverbs to live by, and promises of an everlasting future.

I repeat my affirmation that I believe every word in the Bible is the true word of God. It gives me hope, brings order to a disordered world, and I can't imagine even a moment without God's love. And this, all because, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Amazing.

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