our blog
Mar
Celebrate The Steps
One of the great advantages of My One Word is the way it helps me see my growth as a process. When I think about my word and what I hope it will help me become, I get excited about the possibility that this could actually happen.
But it is not just a goal. The point of focusing for an entire year is to remind you that it is a process. It is easy to get overwhelmed by everything that remains unchanged and all the work that needs to be done. But we shouldn’t forget to celebrate.
Celebrating is an act of faith. It is a declaration of progress and not simply a destination. We don’t celebrate our birthday because it is the end—we celebrate it as a point on the journey. And you should celebrate these points.
The problem is that, too often, we have not identified these points. We don’t know what to look for, so we wait until the end to celebrate. And that is too late.
Our word reminds us that we are in process. Each step along the way is an opportunity to celebrate that progress. We are celebrating what God is doing in us.
If you struggle with discipline, celebrate the fact that you sat down and read or exercised or journaled. Our steps tend to remind us that we do not do enough, so our thoughts become clouded—we feel pressure to continue, or feel regret that comes from thinking, “Why didn’t I do this yesterday?”
If you struggle with your temper, celebrate the fact that what you were able to take a deep breath and deal with something that would have sent you reeling last month. And it was fine. You didn’t lose anything by not losing your temper.
Patience, kindness, worry, gossip, stress….whatever your struggle, make sure to celebrate your progress. Celebrate the fact that you believe that God is working in your life. This is faith. You are declaring that you believe that what He has begun He will complete. And until you are complete, you are in process. Do not wait until the end to celebrate—that’s too late. Celebrate the steps.
We’d love to hear your response to the following question: Read Philippians 4:4. One way we can encourage each other is by celebrating steps of growth together. As you look back on your My One Word journey to this point, what step do you most need to celebrate?
Mar
Stuck In A Rut
I’m stuck in a Writer’s Block rut. I sit at my computer hoping to become inspired, but find I have been staring at the blank screen longer than I’d like to admit. I have tried everything: getting up to get a drink, taking a short walk, chatting with friends, visualization techniques, listening to music… I have even invented a ridiculous number of uses for paperclips. But still, I have nothing. It’s time to admit it: I am STUCK.
The same thing sometimes happens spiritually, too. How do we recognize when we’re stuck, and how do we become unstuck? Answering this question is critical in keeping alive the transformation process of My One Word rather than giving in to the rising difficulty and resistance.
According to 2 Peter 1:3-10, when we’re stuck we’re blind to three things: our identity in Christ, God’s provision for our growth and the transformation process. Verse 3 shows us that we possess everything we need for godliness. Christ himself provides a godly life (Galatians 2:20). The Holy Spirit, living within us, guides us in truth. We simply need to remind ourselves of the promises (v.4) that come through the grace of Christ.
Eventually, those initial changes brought by choosing our One Word fade. Struggles arise and many of us grow frustrated. Resistance sometimes leaves us shell-shocked and, in more devastating cases, we lose hope. We lose heart. By taking out our heart, the enemy immobilizes us.
How do we handle this lack of hope and gain traction and, ultimately, momentum with our One Word? The first—and most critical—step is to cling to the truth that in Christ we are whole, made alive and set free. This truth changes everything, including our perspective on feeling stuck. We won’t depend on ourselves to produce change anymore (Galatians 3:2-3). When we understand that true change only occurs within, we’ll resist the urge to fix the external and allow the Holy Spirit to change our hearts. This is never easy.
If we’re honest, we want character without being stretched, growth without risk, and lessons without scars. In a way, we become satisfied with being stuck because we love comfort and security. Something in our heart avoids having to admit that the biggest problem we face isn’t our circumstances, but the person staring back at us in the mirror.
That’s why Peter says in verse 5 that we must make every effort to add to our faith. We need to believe the real challenge of Christian growth is personal ownership. We need vision to create a path out of our rut. We have to identify our desires and figure out why we’re stuck in the first place. We combat getting stuck by protecting our hearts (Proverbs 4:23) and transforming our minds (Romans 12:2). Our thoughts shape our words and actions.
We need to become so aware of our flaws that they can’t hide anymore. Once we identify them, we need to give them to God. When doing so, we begin breaking patterns that put us in positions to make poor decisions. Instead of pursuing something to fulfill a shortsighted desire, we pursue things that produce the internal change we really need. Prayer shifts our focus from what’s directly in front of us onto the actions we need to take for growth to occur.
No matter the struggle, no matter the situation, no matter how stuck we’ve been, if we know Christ, then there’s hope. The hope for us who are stuck is that what God has begun in us He will complete (Philippians 1:6).
- What situations are you feeling “stuck” and meeting resistance in living out the qualities of your One Word? What do you believe is keeping you “stuck”?
- How have you dealt with times of discouragement or has it gotten the better of you?
- Often times in the midst of being “stuck” we know what the next right steps of faith are, but are unwilling to act. What do you believe is the next step you need to take in living out your One Word? What actions or changes do you need to put into place to make this change a reality? How would you measure growth in this area?
Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010. If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal — log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!
Mar
Fixer Upper
It has been said that what you see determines the direction of your life. If this is the case, then your perception of yourself can either propel you forward or keep you stuck in the past. The perspective you hold directly affects the possibility of change.
A way to understand this principle is to look at how a husband and wife who are house hunting can hold greatly differing perspectives on a potential “fixer upper.”
When driving up to the home, the husband first notices the tattered roof and chipped paint on the siding. Inside the house, the issues pile up: shoddy wiring, hardwood floors in need of repair and a yard overgrown with bushes and weeds. As he assesses the amount of work needed to turn this shabby shack into a home for his family, he feels overwhelmed and defeated. The job required seems too great to handle. As they leave, he feels convinced this could never be their dream home.
On the other hand, all the wife sees is potential. She begins to picture her and her husband swinging on the front porch while their children play hide and seek with the neighborhood kids. As she strolls through the kitchen, she can almost smell future Thanksgiving dinners being prepared. She closes her eyes for a moment and sees their children sliding around the hardwood floors in socked feet, giggling and having fun. With a little hard work and a lot of elbow grease, this house could become their home. As she gets back into the car, she feels excited and hopeful – this just may be the house they have been looking for.
The husband and wife drive up to the same house together, see the same necessary repairs, but walk away with two different points of view. The husband sees the problems while the wife sees the possibilities. One feels defeated while the other feels hope. This house’s potential to become a home depends on the buyer’s perspective.
Similarly, the potential your One Word has on your transformation depends on your perspective.
As you develop ways to measure growth through your One Word, take the necessary time to examine your perspective. When you look at your character, what do you see: flaws that leave you hopeless, or gaps where growth can occur? Are you a work in progress, or someone already doomed for failure? Does your perspective on the places where you fall short make you defensive, play the blame game or attempt to escape the transformation process altogether?
Or do you see your problems through the eyes of Christ and your identity in Him? Do you believe the ability for personal transformation lies solely on your shoulders, or through the Holy Spirit working inside of you? Do you hope that your circumstances will change, or that you will change in the midst of your circumstances? Through which lens or perspective do you view yourself? The answer to this question influences everything.
We’d love to hear your response to the following question: Read Philippians 1:3-11. When you look at the progress that has occurred through your One Word journey, do you focus on the places where you fall short or the areas where growth has taken place? Why does this tend to be your default perspective?