As the new year approached, the talk of new year’s
resolutions came up – as it always does.
My older kids seemed especially enamored of the hope and excitement that
these goals can bring. I was asked
numerous times on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day what my resolutions
were. At first I just brushed them off
with “I don’t know.” Then I moved on to
“I haven’t made any yet” and “I haven’t really thought about it.” All the while I am thinking, “I can never
stick to them so why bother.”
But on New Year’s Day I was reminded of something I did last
year, somewhat passively and without a lot of follow through (Imagine
that!). I read
this blog post from
youversion and remembered choosing a word and a verse
last year, but I couldn't remember what either of them were. So you see, I hadn't put a whole lot into it.
(It was “delight,” BTW…)
But this year was going to be different. Forget resolutions. And even the less stressful word “goal
setting.” I was going to pray, listen
for God’s response, and choose one word, one verse to focus on for the
year. To get me started, I searched #verse2014
on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I
read what people had written, thought about their words, their verses, and prayed for mine. But, it was New Year ’s Day. I have four kids. HGTV had the Tournament of Roses Parade on
commercial free! How quickly my focus changed…
Until I was utterly inspired by a commercial I saw! Not as powerful as the Dodge Ram Trucks
“Thank a Farmer” spot from last year’s Super Bowl, but a great way to start the year
nevertheless! I saw a commercial for the
search engine from Microsoft, BING. With
the Sarah Bareilles song “Brave” in the background, here is what I saw:
I believe God can speak to us in many different ways.
Sometimes, it is through music and TV commercials. I left like I had been hit upon the side of
my head. I want to be brave! I may be a lot of things – loud, opinionated,
boisterous – but brave is not a word I would use to describe myself. I tend towards the non-confrontational,
especially with people I don’t know as the outcome may not work out the way I
want it to. I keep things inside just to
keep peace. I don’t go out on many
limbs, figuring the safe and known are way better than the scary and
unknown. But this year, I want to be
brave!
I prayed, watched the video 10 more times, and downloaded
the song. Set it as my ringtone,
even! Then, I searched for the word
“brave” in the Bible. It’s in
there! About 20 times – depending on the
translation. I started reading through the verses, and a lot of them had to do
with battle. While I liked that
sentiment, it was exactly what I was looking for to go with the mood of my word
and the inspiration I had received. But
then I read this one:
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”
Yes! That was
it! EXACTLY! THAT is how I want 2014 to be! THAT is my #verse2014. 1 Corinthians 16:13 NJKV. The version matters here because it uses the
word BRAVE. That’s my word! That’s my charge for 2014.
So, I do the thing I know I am comfortable with, and I got
creative. I made
this Flipagram and
immediately posted it to my social media accounts. I made a cover photo for Facebook and a new
profile picture. I want to be reminded
of it daily so I can be BRAVE! I was to
see it so I don’t forget that it’s what God wants for me! Sarah B says she wants to see me be
brave! I want to see me be brave!
As I see other people share their word or their verse I
think about how their word might work for me.
I see several that are about listening, or being still, or love. I see ones that seem to be about correcting an
action or an attitude. I see ones that
are simply inspirational. And it makes
me love mine even more. I see mine as a
call to action. A charge. A defining moment for my life. Will you help me? Will you push me to be brave? Will you show me when I need to be brave?
Britt chose a word, too.
His word is trust. And his verse
is Proverbs 11:28. He shared it with me
in several translations:
Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish
like leaves in spring. New Living Translation
He who trusts in his riches will wither but the righteous
will flourish like a green leaf. Revised Standard Version
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall : but the
righteous shall flourish as a branch. King James Version
Whoso is confident in his wealth he falleth, And as a leaf,
the righteous flourish. Young’s Literal
Translation
A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a
God-shaped life is a flourishing tree. The Message
Those who depend on their wealth will fall like the leaves
of autumn, but the righteous will prosper like the leaves of summer. Good News Translation
I loved what our pastor, Craig Groeschel, said about the
word God has for you. It might not be
what you thought it was. He said his was
Rest. He said he doesn’t want to
rest! He wanted it to be something like
conquer, or some other strong word.
Really, ANY word but rest! Britt
said he wanted his to be warrior! But
God gave him trust. I thought mine would
be something softer, like pray, or believe.
God gave me BRAVE.
So, what about you?
Do you have a word for 2014? What
is it? We would love to hear about
it! And we would love to pray for you
and help you live out your word for 2014. Share it with us!
