I guess the New Year isn’t so new anymore. Some of the shiny
is worn off by now. Many good intentions have already fallen by the wayside. I
have been under the weather for a good portion of January, so I feel like I
lost this month somehow. I have been cheated out of one of my favorite times of
the year. But somehow I don’t think that the shingles virus cares all that much
about me or what I would prefer, so time marches on.
Yes, I have shingles. Yes, it completely lives up to the
hype. Yes, I am so ready to be done with it. And yes, I will overcome this and
feel better again because I know that God answers prayer!
Anyway…I gave up the roller coaster of resolutions several
years ago. I just got tired of constantly feeling like I was missing the mark.
So instead of making a lot of empty promises, I now choose one word each year
to be my focus. Last year’s word was “change.” I was quite intentional with
that choice because I knew that there were a lot of changes coming for me in
2014 and I wanted to be ready. I would love to tell you that I handled it all
gracefully, but I would be lying. I did handle some things pretty well. But there
were some ugly moments, too. It was God’s grace that smoothed out those rough
places and carried me through. I learned a lot about myself and how to deal
more effectively with change.
My word choice for this year took quite a bit of thought.
There are so many areas where I know I need to progress. A perfectionistic
person is never at a loss when it comes to self-improvement! After several days
of contemplation and a very encouraging conversation with my family over
breakfast one morning, I finally found the right word. My one word for 2015 is…EMBRACE.
One of the most important lessons I learned about change is that resistance
makes everything more of a challenge. Leaning in and working with the process
makes it so much easier to move forward. So this year I am going to focus on
really embracing life. I guess I should since that is in the name of this
space where I share my heart.
Embrace adventure. Embrace wholeness. Embrace community.
Embrace opportunity. Embrace challenges. Embrace identity. Embrace purpose. Embrace
God’s promises.
Even though I've had a bit of a rocky start, I am looking forward to what 2015 has in store for me. Lots of life to embrace!
“May you live all the days of your life.” ~Jonathan Swift
