This calendar shift has been a struggle for me. My world totally changed about three weeks before the new year, so I was a little underwhelmed by 2016 beginning.
However, I have been thinking about one important aspect of this time of renewal.
Last spring a dear friend gave me the idea to ask God for a word for the year. (You can read about it here.)
For me this word is about grounding myself when I get lost in my head, stuck in that “what can I do about it” mindset. There are so many ways to work toward a better relationship with God that I sometimes forget the main point…which is God himself. (All of those things are AMAZING tools, just saying.) I find that for me I get caught up it what I have to do, and I forget that I need only ask God to allow these tools to change me, to draw me nearer to him.
And so for the second year I have asked God to give me a word to focus in on when I get distracted, or when I feel weak. At first I felt drawn toward Obedience (bleh!), but I was praying God would give me a less harsh version. Turns out I had to remain a little instead of Google-ing synonymous.
Today I found some screen backgrounds in a Bible reading app I’ve had for a few months. (Sidebar – check out She Reads Truth sometime.) One of them had a verse from Joel that clearly was my answer:
Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, – Joel 2:13 partial ESV
And there it is : Return
I so often lately am worried about all the ways I could mess up. All the things I could lose if I make a wrong move. But that is not how this works. God’s will is going to happen. I am not responsible for it. I will play a part, but if I should choose not to or my time in that situation changes, it is not going to mess up His plan.
There is such freedom in this. In returning to Him and asking to be a part of his good work.
Happy New Year friends,
-Shari
(Originally written Jan 2016 here)
