One Little Word 2015

abide

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; 
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide. 
When other helpers fail and comforts flee, 
Help of the helpless, abide with me.

Thou on my head, in early youth didst smile; 
And, though rebellious, and perverse meanwhile, 
Thou hast not left me, though I oft left Thee, 
On to the close Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence, every passing hour. 
What but Thy grace, can foil the tempter's power? 
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be? 
Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless 
Ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness 
Where is thy sting death? Where grave thy victory? 
I triumph still, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross, before my closing eyes; 
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies. 
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; 
In life, in death, Lord, abide with me.

This hymn spoke to me during my times of deepest despair. I couldn't sit through it at church some Sundays without crying. Sometimes I let the words wash over me, and sometimes I had to flee to the privacy of the bathroom. And while those days are past, this hymn and this word, abide, have stayed with me. 

Those who've kept up with our family happenings on the blog over the years will know where this idea of One Little Word comes from. For those who are new, this is my version of resolutions for the new year. The word isn't prophetic; I have no idea what the year will look like. It tends to be more of an intention, something I'd like to embrace or see change in myself over the next twelve months. In years past, the words that I've picked have sometimes fit my year perfectly, and sometimes they haven't. The words tend to come to me in the shower, where all great thinking happens. 

My true intention for this next year is to delve deeper into prayer. To have a rich, meaningful, life-giving prayer life. I pray all day long, snippets here and there as events occur or thoughts pop into my head while I'm folding laundry and reading books to the littles and cleaning up the gazillionth mess that day. What I'm longing for, though, is to become a woman of prayer. To become one who knows how to pray, one who prays deeply, one who prays humbly, one who prays faithfully. Lord, teach me to abide. 

2014  2013  2012  2011

One Little Word 2014

This will be my fourth year to pick one little word to exemplify what I hope for that year. I'm learning that it's often something that I'm lacking, something I hope to see more of in my life, as opposed to something I'm already good at. At the end of each preceding year, I spend some time reflecting and praying for God to help me see my word, to help me see what needs to be addressed in my life (sins, misplaced hopes, etc). He always delivers, which can sometimes be hard, because who wants their weakness and sins exposed?! It isn't all-encompassing at times, because God isn't put into a box and doesn't only work on one aspect of my character each year. Yet, the word does dip into every area of my life.

For 2014, it's DELIGHT.

I always try to pair a verse with the word: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

I'm no theologian, so feel free to correct my interpretation of this verse, but it seems to me that we don't delight in the Lord so that he will gives us our heart's desires, but that in the process of delighting in him (truly delighting, enjoying, seeking Him), He molds and shapes our hearts so that our desires match the will He has already set out for us.

This brings back last year's word of JOY. Living with a heart of gratitude for His particular care in our lives. Joy doesn't equate happiness, necessarily, but a deep-seated contentment in the One who cares for us and in the events he brings our way, knowing that He is working our good out, even if our good is not the easy and happy that we long for. We can choose to be joyful even when it hurts. Therefore, we can also choose to delight, even when the days are long and the kids are whiny and you feel like you are beaten down and worn out.

Because, let's face it, as mothers of young children, we are in the trenches. Our days can utterly suck, but at the end of the day, we can't help but recount the tiny moments that did delight us. The funny thing the four-year-old said, and the crazy mess that the two-year-old got into that makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time. The way the older helped the younger with a task, without your prompting her to do so. Sweet little gifts that show us that God is working in their young hearts as well.

So, this year I choose to delight in Him, and I choose to delight in the day-to-day moments that He brings my way. I will stop and take a deep breath and laugh more and yell less. I will put aside the phone and engage with my children, delighting in their silly antics. I won't do this perfectly, but by His grace, may December of 2014 look better than January.

See previous years here: 2011 (and again), 2012, and 2013.

One Little Word 2013

JOY.

Certainly not because I have joy, but because I long for joy. In contemplating this new year's word, I've realized that the words that choose me are often the ones that I need more of. In finding my word, I find what I'm lacking. I find what God is trying to teach me in that season.

The word always sneaks up on me in the last few weeks of the year, prompted by something I've read. And when I realize that it's my new word, I see it everywhere. For the Christian, joy isn't hard to come by, at least not in your reading. :)

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51: 7-12

Seems appropriate for a new year, right? A fresh start?

From Dorothy Sayers, quoted in Surprised by Oxford (an excellent read, by the way. I highly recommend it.), "The greatest sin of the Christian is to be joyless."

One Thousand Gifts speaks to the wonders of joy over and over. Joy stemming from gratitude. Joy in the moments, good and bad. Joy in Christ, joy because of Christ alone.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow. Romans 15:13

Oh, the joys of of those who trust the Lord. Psalm 40: 4

How to find joy this year? To seek God's face. To learn to trust. To live in thanksgiving. May you find true joy, joy in the work of Christ done for you already, joy in the grace God continues to bestow on you, in this new year.
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Curious about my previous words? 2012  2011. See here for my original explanation of One Little Word, if you're interested in what started it all.

Monday Musings

A little contemplative, a little lighthearted for your Monday morning....

My one word this year is RENEWAL. I have to say that this year has felt like anything but that. More like sifting, so I guess that would translate to renewing, but "renewal" has such a positive connotation, and not much has felt positive this year. But, looking back on my original post about this year's word, I'm reminded of this:

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

I'm also a glass half-empty kind of person, and that's a battle of the mind I have to fight constantly. As the holidays approach, it's time to start thinking of next year's word. I wonder what word will find me in the next couple of months.

Eleanor is sick, with the highest temp I've ever seen her display before. We're headed to the doctor first thing in the morning to see if it's RSV, which is going around right now. Poor little girl has been happy happy despite all of this, apart from an hour or so after nap today when her temp was at it's peak.

We are back in dance after having to miss last week, and Avery was so excited to go. We watched Angelina Ballerina this morning in anticipation of her class.

Avery is into role-playing. All weekend she was Kai-Lan, and Luke was Grandpa (from an episode on one of her movies we have in the car). Eleanor turned into Baby Amy (?) and I became Aunt Michelle. Uncle Nick was Santa Claus. Not once did she misspeak and get us confused. That girl's memory is incredible.

One Little Word 2012

It's taken much thought and prayer to find this year's new word. I feel like it should be "One Little Sentence", or a word for each month. I went through so many that would be applicable for 2012. Hope, peace, engage, enough, gratitude, thanksgiving, joy...the list goes on. I really wanted an action word. As I sat reading and praying, I asked that the LORD would reveal it to me yesterday. It felt silly to ask Him for that, to show me a simple word to cling to for the year. Yet, even the smallest of prayers are answered, for a word came to me as I was driving in the afternoon.

RENEW.

The verse that first popped into mind with this was Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."


Then I found this later: "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18


So much has happened this past year that has made me fight to control my thoughts, my feelings, my reactions. I've had to learn to hold my thoughts captive, a battle I lose daily it seems. When so many trials come your way all at once, it becomes easy to have a victim mentality. 


Therefore, I'm hoping to spend 2012 working on holding my thoughts captive, on guarding my heart and mind, on renewing my mind, my faith, my relationships, my hobbies, my attitude...renewing all aspects of my life.

What's your word?

One Little Word

The time is quickly approaching for One Little Word. My word for 2011 was simplify. I completely forgot that this was my word by February, possibly March. By the end of this year, I thought that I had picked the word rejoice. Why? Probably because it was part of my blog header. I certainly didn't simplify much of anything in my life, though I had all intentions to do so. Did I rejoice either? Not really sure. This has been THE HARDEST year of my life, for many reasons never covered here on the blog. I have learned to rejoice in the good - that's always easy, and I've tried my darndest to rejoice in the bad, which has been a daily struggle the past few months. How does one rejoice over bad? Or, are we simply to learn that no matter what the bad is, God is constant, and we are to rejoice in HIM always. Not the situation, but in the God who controls it? So, we still grieve for the loss of a loved one, but not because the loved one is worse off. The loved one is in a far better place, sitting with his Savior. We grieve because we are sad, because we miss him. So, we still grieve for the trials and tribulations that come our way, but not because we are victims and how dare God allow this to happen to us? We grieve, yes, but we rest in the peace and comfort of the God who carries us through those trials and tribulations. I've learned that I am not alone in any of this. I have felt more alone than ever this year in many ways, at least in the moment, but looking back I can see God's provision throughout it all. The support for my family through the loss of my father. The support of me and my family through bedrest and birth. The support continues, on and on and on. Prayers and meals and friends willing to step in at a moment's notice for everything that seems to keep pouring on us.

While I have lived through the hardest moments of my life this year, I have also lived through some of the most joyous. God has been gracious and sandwiched the pain within some of my happiest moments - we started the year with joy, with an answered prayer of pregnancy discovered literally on day one of 2011, and we end this year with joy, in the birth of my nephew just a few days ago. I may not have finished my year's original word - life might still be cluttered and messy and anything but simple, but I've worked hard to adapt to my adopted word, rejoicing in all. I fail daily. Grace prevails.

I challenge you to pick a word for 2012. I'm pondering my own. Think hard, but if it just doesn't seem to fit what the year brings you, change it, and watch it change you.

SIMPLIFY

The big thing on everyone's minds in January is resolutions. I never make resolutions because I never can follow through with them. And, I feel that if one truly wants to change something, they shouldn't have to wait until January 1st to do so. Diets can start any day. When you're a mom, your calendar year starts in August or September. Some people can resolve to work out more before the next swimsuit season rolls around. Whatever your fancy, you can resolve to change any ol' day, so why force it and stress over it at the beginning of a new year?

But. BUT. I'm hopping on the bandwagon this year. In a new sorta way. A friend mentioned that she and her husband each picked a word for the year. I've been reading about this idea for a couple years now, found first over at Ali Edwards' blog. (That's the link to her word for this year.) So then a friend mentioned that she was choosing a word, and it got me thinking again...every year I hope a word will find me, but nothing struck me last year or the year before. Now, 11 days late, I think a word has found me.

SIMPLIFY.

We're in a tiny space right now, overwhelmed by things I can't bear to let go of, because I just *know* that we'll use them when we buy a house and I won't want to shell the money out for them a second time. It's hard when you downsize your space temporarily. Only this has become a longer temporary than I first anticipated. I tend to struggle with contentment (another option for this year's word, but it's not broad enough for me). I think to reach contentment, I need to simplify first. To let go of the so-called need for stuff. I want to simplify my activities at home, so that I get a system in order that keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, that allows me more time with Avery. If I can simplify, downsize, let go of the non-eternal, then perhaps I can grasp more tightly onto the eternal. Get rid of the excess in our lives. Give. Be thankful.

Plus, I know it will make my husband happy.