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Jan
Change Is A Community Effort
Over the course of the past few days, you have been reflecting on the person you feel God wants you to become in 2010. 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 2010
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
Refine Your Search
Having painted a picture of the person you want to be at the end of 2010, your natural tendency will be to haphazardly hang the still-wet canvas on the wall and start along the path of transformation. Yet, this reaction will have you running in a thousand different directions because numerous godly characteristics make up the person you desire to become. By attempting to instill each virtue all at once, the likelihood is you’ll quickly burnout and be frustrated when all of them do not take root.
Instead of letting the wet paint run and blur your vision for change, you must take the time to narrow your focus. When you invest time and energy into developing a certain aspect of yourself, it will positively effect and spill over to other areas of your character. To help refine your search, examine a few scriptures that speak of virtues that have the potential to become your one word.
- Read the scripture passages found above. What are some words found in these passages that resonate with you? Why do you seem to be drawn to these words?
- Write down the words that, to this point, have stuck with you. Keep these words in highly visible places (bathroom mirror, bible, car dashboard, refrigerator, workspace, etc.) so you will be able to wrestle with them throughout the upcoming days.
FOR THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY PICKED THEIR WORD FOR 2010
Your one word provides a lens not only to see your life and what God wants to do through you, but it also allows you to view and respond to your circumstances differently. Rather than just responding to life, you are proactively looking for ways to put your word into action. Keeping your eyes focused on God is the key to being formed into His image, because what you see determines the direction you go.
- In what ways are you going to use your word as a lens through which you will view life, God and your circumstances?
So far, we’ve talked about your hopes as well as the fears you have regarding change. Today we want to confront the hesitation you have towards the person you will become through your one word. We’d love to hear your response to the following question: In regards to your word (or potential word), why do you NOT want to become this type of person?
Jan
Painting A New Picture
Taking the time to reflect on the past year in hopes of carving out a better future has the ability to halt you in your tracks. Coming face to face with the unpleasant gaps in your character and personality is not always a pretty picture. So, why you might ask, did we encourage you to take inventory on where you’ve been and the person you currently are? Quite simply, it begins the process towards change by identifying your starting point.
Today we turn our attention to a different picture. This is a picture that propels you forward. Rather than attempting to avoid the person you were or stopping a negative behavior, we want you to begin painting a picture of the person you want to become. This image must go deeper than outward appearances by focusing on the changes that need to take place deep inside your soul.
- How would you describe the person you want to be at the end of 2010? What are some characteristics that would define this person?
FOR THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY PICKED THEIR WORD FOR 2010
This project is not about quick-fixes or putting a band-aid on a bad behavior. It is intended to produce long-term results. We want you to have expectations that your one word will become embedded in your character and begin to flow out of you naturally. For this to take place, it requires putting yourself in a position where God can transform you. People do not grow in the image of Christ by accident or osmosis. When you take the time and intention to focus on your word, change begins to seep into your character.
- What effect do you hope your word will have on your character? How will you have to posture yourself to make that change a reality?
Our last post posed a question regarding the apprehension that we all feel when faced with change. Somehow in the midst of that fear there is a part of hope and excitement that resides within us. We’d love to hear your response to the following question: What excites you the most about the road ahead of you with your One Word?