Your one word may be highly idiosyncratic – it may only make sense to you and to God. That was the case with my brother Brian’s one word for this year. (Yes, Brian is the beach clearing hero from chapter 8 in the My One Word book.)  So I asked Brian to explain what his one word UNFAIR means to him.

 

My One Word is  UNFAIR

“Unfair?”my daughter asked.  “That’s what you want to be in 2013?”

 

 

I admit it sounds a bit puzzling at first, but its not what you think.  You see, I give thought to the routine more than anyone I know.  My natural bent pushes me towards logic.  Almost everything I do is calculated … and, at least in my mind, sensible.  But the person I am isn’t fully the person I want to become.

The tension becomes apparent in the following words from Jesus:

 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.  And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

MATTHEW 5:38-42          

I understand an eye for an eye. It makes sense. But when I examine who I want to be and how I want to be used by God and for His purposes, I want to be a turn the cheek, take my coat, 2nd mile kind of guy. That defies logic. It seems, well, UNFAIR.

I was in Starbucks when I landed on my one word and as I got into my car and started to leave I saw the lady holding the cardboard sign.  It said the usual. “Help. Out of work. Need food for my kids.”

Instead of logic kicking in and wondering a laundry list of questions about the reality of her situation  I thought, “What’s an unfair thing to do?”  For me, it was to reach in my wallet and give.

Normally, I may grab a buck or two and give that to make me feel good, but it wasn’t about that this time.  Like a struggling fire trying to ignite, my heart needed room to breathe and my one word stood before me to create space for that to happen.  Space where the fresh wind of the Spirit could be released.

Looking through the lens of my one word gave me the clarity to see what I could have easily missed.  I gave all the money in my wallet.  That seemed unfair.

And that’s who I want to become.

What “unfair” thing does your one word call you to do?

Have a story like Brian’s? Email it to us at info@myoneword(dot)org.