our blog
Jan
Change Is A Community Effort
Over the course of the past few weeks, you have been reflecting on the person you feel God wants you to become in 2011. Unfortunately, sometimes you are so close to a situation that you get tunnel vision and begin to second-guess your perspective. Chances are good you have created a list of potential words, but you find yourself wondering how to make a final decision on the direction you will take. Our recommendation is to invite someone else to join you on your journey by seeking out his or her wisdom. Even though you must rely on the Holy Spirit for direction, God also uses people to bring perspective to your life that you are unable (or unwilling) to see at times.
Who is the person you trust the most? Do they care deeply about the well being of your character? Hopefully, this individual possesses the ability to see the potential in you and is willing to do whatever it takes to encourage your growth and transformation. In essence, they care more about your character than your friendship. True change takes a community effort. Each one of us needs a few people to tell us the truth about our heart, point out our weaknesses, and check for our blind spots.
- Share with this person the words you are considering for the My One Word project. As you are sharing your thoughts, pay close attention to their response and the words that are met with affirmation and confirmation. Do they affirm that your word is an area that demands your attention? Do they confirm that a certain word seems to be a place where God is working in your life?
FOR THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY PICKED THEIR WORD FOR 2011
The reason you chose the word that you did is because this godly characteristic does not come naturally to you. This is where the implementation of disciplines comes into play. The point of disciplines is to “do something you can do in order to do something you can’t do.” You establish disciplines until they are dissolved into your character. While many of us shy away from discipline, there are many benefits to the struggle we experience as the depth of our character is tested and trained. Disciplines put you in a place where God can transform your heart. As you are starting your one word journey, take some time to reflect on what disciplines you need to set up in order to pursue your word more deeply.
- Read 1 Timothy 4:7-9. What disciplines will you incorporate in response to living out your one word?
Many of you have been down this path of change before and, for whatever reason, something got the better of you. It caused you to wave the white flag in surrender and retreat back to your old ways. This time you want things to be different. Start now by identifying the bumps in the road you will inevitably encounter. We’d love to hear your response to the following question: What do you see as the biggest roadblock that you will face when it comes to living out your one word?
Jan
Forcing Clarity
It never fails, once I start thinking of a new word the lessons surrounding my previous word increase. It’s as though God is operating on His own timeline rather than mine – this shouldn’t surprise me. Suddenly, I start feeling as though I’m not ready for a new word. I question whether I gave last years word enough consideration. Did I journal enough? Have I really adopted it as a mindset the way I had planned to?
This way of thinking can overwhelm us when picking a new word, especially when trying to sum up everything that we still need to work on with just one. For example, this year, I want to continue working on being the best husband and father I can be, I want to be better at serving others, I want to be more active in ministry, and the list goes on. Finding a word that encapsulates all of the things that are important to me this year isn’t easy, and I’ve been more grateful than ever that we have until February 1st to decide.
When we seek to improve our life in any way our tendency is to look deeper and deeper into ourselves until we find an answer. I want to do the opposite. There is one word that keeps coming to mind during my quiet time – understanding. It’s a good word but I want to spend less time being introspective and more time being outwardly active in my faith.
So, as reluctant as I was to choose understanding as my word, I decided to at least spend some time with it and begin praying for more understanding about what God wants to do in my life; He must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30). A couple of weeks have passed and I’ve come to understand that God has been using my previous word, temple, to position me for this new year.
My final word came to me while looking over some of my past journal entries and study notes. Early in the year I was studying the temple that king Solomon, and the people of Israel, had built for God. The following verse was scribbled on the page:
“When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” (2 Chronicles 7:1)
Then it hits me, the person who I want to be this year can only be realized in His glory. I must come to understand that, like the temple in 2 Chronicles, when God fills me with His glory it comes down like a consuming fire. All of the frustration, anxiety, or doubt of choosing a new word or expectations of who I want to be this year, is reduced to ash. The only thing left is the glory of what God is doing at this moment, on His timeline. So, my one word for 2011 is Glory.
For some, picking a word might be easy, but for most of us it requires much prayer and consideration. How I have come to pick my one word is a testament to the importance of journaling. By looking back on the past year, and what the Spirit has taught me, I have gained a better understanding of where He is leading me this year.
If you are struggling to pick a word, or even narrow down your options, I encourage you to reflect on where you’ve been and how God might be continuing to use your past words. Of course the best advice I can give anyone on picking a word is to just ask God for His advice.
Jan
Avoiding Circles
C.S. Lewis once quipped “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” My hope when I pick my one word is that it will have a similar impact on my life. I want to see my word and focus on it, but I also hope that God uses it to illuminate many other aspects of my life. There is an exciting pressure about picking my word!
I’ve had some words that have helped—and continue to help—me grow in Christ. “Relational” was my word in 2007. It forced me to put relationships ahead of tasks, agendas, efficiency and effectiveness and all the things that have “rescued me” and garnered praise from others. “Relational” helped me become a gentler husband and father and even a better co-worker because I enter more conversations looking to have a closer bond not just a better decision.
In 2008 my word was “authentic.” We talk about “encounter, formation and expression” at PC3 and my word came out of a desire to not simply perform Christ likeness but express His love and will in the world because of my authentic encounters with God, and His formational work within me. It was a noble goal but only partly realized. I admit and repent of the fact that I got too busy to use this word as a point of encounter . . . . at least I’m being authentic now!
“Pure” was my word for 2009. I was giving my young son fake attention while answering email on my laptop. He didn’t catch me, but I caught myself and it hurt. “Pure” for me was not just about dealing with sin patterns (though that was part of it) it was about being undivided when the moment called for it; when the relationship called for it. It was a push against multi-tasking. Later that year, my daughter asked me to snuggle with her as she fell asleep. The email beckoned but I snuggled. More than that, I stayed pure. Instead of rehearsing answers to emails I prayed for my daughter, for her friendships, for her purity, for her future husband, for wisdom as her dad, for every aspect of her life that came to mind. “Pure” helped me have that moment.
In 2010 I forgot my word. I had to look it up in preparing to write this. And guess what, the word was? “Enjoy.” I picked it while running on the beach and realizing that I was approaching the run as a task to stay in shape instead of a wonderful opportunity to take in God’s creation and enjoy my body’s ability to run. But, the year was a hard one at work and I let it choke out my word. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has a running joke ‘You might be a redneck . . .” For me it’s more like “You might be a Martha” or “You might be the prodigal son’s older brother . . .” I’m prone to see life as obligations and then get bitter at meeting them while others enjoy the party. “If your word is “enjoy” and you forget it by May, you might be a Martha.” Yep.
Left to their own sense of direction, most people will travel in a circle when left in the wilderness. Sometimes I feel like that’s me. I seem to wrestle with same issues over and over and forward progress is inconsistent. I also tend to wander away so knowingly with lame rationalizations. So, my word for 2011 is “compass.”
Mike talks about the “normal, natural use of scripture” as a marker of Christian maturity. I think that “normal, natural” idea can carry over to a lot of areas. For me, it speaks of pulling in God’s truth to a given situation quickly and without fanfare. My “compass” is not about any issues of doubt in my ultimate destination. The compass is about frequent checking in with what’s true and not wandering on my own. Off we go!