The WORD

So, as many of you who really know me, I pick a New Years Resolution every year, typically they are broken by mid year...but they always change my heart to some degree. So all is not lost.

This year. Having come through a somewhat difficult end to 2010, I realized I needed help getting my perspective back on the positive. So I was going to wait a month. I found a great christian radio station here in Memphis to listen to called KLove. I decided I was going to listen to NOTHING but Christian music for the month of January. (which for the most part I stuck with)I figured by doing this my outlook would become focused on the positives again and I could figure out my New Years Resolution the end of the month.

SO here we are ... February 1st!

First I would like to point out something really neat about KLove. The whole month of January they challenged the listeners to only listen to christian music to get the New Year off on the right start! It was like having a team of my very own encouragers! :) Made the commitment so much easier to stick with.

Then, second, I must say, I was ill prepared for the impact that it had on my life. All of a sudden I became incredibly convicted and terribly bothered by things in my life that had become "normal." Attitudes, lukewarm faith, self centered living, and lacking areas/actions of service. Among many others as well.

As the month went on, I found myself not just positive, I found myself stirred up! I longed deeply for my relationship with God to grow. And as the desire grew, He met me there and began to teach me areas in my life I needed to "give" Him.

It wasnt a matter of becoming perfect, its a matter of becoming aware. Growth cant happen unless we realize the need for it. So as I listened, I kept hearing the morning show talk about their "ONE WORD" of 2011.

The blog explaining this new concept talks of broken resolutions year after year (guilty) and expectations that cant be met on our terms (guilty again) and about how many of us not necessarily fail, we give up. (Very guilty) The one word concept allows you to simply just live with this WORD on your mind and in your prayers. And at the end of the year see how your year is "painted" by this single word.

I began to think, pray and ask myself what word would I want my life to be "painted" by. And man, I could have come up with a ton of words, but then conviction hit me hard. Its not about what I want. Its how I want to see my life change in order to have a deeper walk with the Lord. So I began to pray about it. (as suggested by the dj's on air.) Afterall I kept hearing amazing stories of people having words on their hearts after praying about it.

Last night, discouraged that I still was not settled with a word, and I really wanted to keep my Feb 1, 2011 deadline. I woke up this morning EARLY, too early in my opinion. However, as I lie there unable to go back to sleep, I figured I was up for a reason. I began my daily devo and throughout continued to desire a WORD. Then as I closed my books and lay on my bed, I FOUND ONE! :)

My word for 2011 is RESPOND!

I am learning so much lately and hope my year is a year full of deeper understanding of the God I serve. BUT what good is learning if I dont RESPOND??

I looked up the definition of Respond:

1. to say or write something in reply
I want to be good about writing out my response to what God lays on my heart. I love writing but my blog is shallow in comparison to the amount of thoughts, convictions and ideas God blesses me with. I hope this year to do better about sharing those things with others around me, and also allowing those lessons to be MUCH more than words on a page.

2. react, act in response, take action, counter, act, act on
In life I have always been a clone of my schedule. I hope to live more in response to the world around me this year. To be flexible to change and open to opportunity to serve.

3. to answer
I hope to be much more gracious to those around me. Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. (See NAS)

4. to respond to the life God calls me to
I am not sure how often you will hear me utter the words, but ... I am tired of planning! ha. I am ready and willing to be content where I am, open to where God intends to take me, and to act in a way that brings all glory and honor to HIM.

In my devotional this morning I came across a note in the margin of my Bible. It refered to the Moon reflecting the Sun. And how it is seen, but the light that it is known for is a reflection of the Sun. I hope that as my life resounds the affects of the Word: respond, I hope that my response is a reflection of the God I serve.


I just want to challenge all of you to find a word and think of how its affect on your life could be evident on the 31st of December.

If you do, Id love to hear your words and what you are hoping to see this year, feel free to comment! And to see the resounding response to this phenominon, check out the KLove blog and see all the comments of people who are living in the hope of their words for 2011!

http://www.klove.com/blog/post/2011/01/31/My-One-Word-for-2011-.aspx