Monday, December 30, 2013

The One Where I Choose A Word

2017 One Word Update here.  HOPE.



So it's one of those mornings where I have a stretch of silence.  I catch up on some reading.  I check Facebook to find a number of new posts.  Blogs I follow.

Ann Voscamp is one such blog.  I don't know where I've been that I didn't hear about her until this summer.  But I found her!  And her words speak to the soul of me, in ways that I've needed to hear (I think) all my life.  She's the girlfriend, she's the Titus 2 woman you I have hoped for, and I don't even know her.   Heaven awaits the day I do!

Her Blog today is: How To Move Forward Into A New Year when you feel like you failed last year

"What if everyone is making New Years Resolution and you just want New You Solutions" "Sometimes you can hardly trust your legs, trust turning and taking the next step" "Falling Apart? Fall into What.Ever.Comes.Next FORWARD!"  "Fearful? Forward!" 

And in that blog is this one, well several links, but his is the one I read: Fear's the first step of faith

"The things in my life that require faith are the things that terrify me"
"Fear offers two routes: Flee or Faith. High tail-it or Trust"

I go back to the first post and read her "footnotes" below which leads me to this blog: What the New Year Needs Most A Blog about naming your year.  A name for your year.  Interesting.  I haven't heard of this concept.  I read on.  She talks about euchristeo and names her new year koinonia.  Greek words.  I love greek words.  How they get right to the heart of the matter.  No need to wonder if it's there, they're or their.  Nope.  The greek is straightforward.  This word means this and (generally) only this and in the event it means something else, the root word for that something else is clear and certain.

I flip back to Facebook.  More posts.  More blogs. Sarah Bessey (another writer/blogger I found through blog hopping) posts something interesting.  Something I hadn't seen before. SheLovesMagazine.  Wow, what a great organization! What a wonderful community!! Wow! I kept reading and reading and reading.  Wow!  And come to yet another One Word blog.

The part that resounded with me is "the underlying message (of making resolutions) seems to be who I am right now isn't making the cut"

A to-do list of life for the next year.  And sure we all want to lose weight, be intentional, save money, say no, recycle, unplug, eat healthier, save the world….the truth of the matter is we make the lists to feel better, to be enough.  Stop with the lists!

And that brings me to this OneWord365

I read through the suggested list:

Imagine, Different, Push, Celebrate, Believe, Thrive, Relentless, Finish, Transformation, Learn, Reduce, Grace, Today, Confidence, Health, Purpose, Unstoppable, Enjoy, Truth, Generous, Soar, Commit, Forward, Awake, Change, Focus, Invest, Peace, No, Fortitude, Empower, Curious, Direction, Opportunity, Embrace, Present, Ambition, Growth, Connect, Perspective, Persistence, Stewardship, Strength, Action, Adapt, Progress, Adventure, Selah, Mindfulness, Appreciate, Create, Optimism, Breathe, Integrity, Uplift, Simplify, Freedom, New, Rebuilding, Joy, Courage, Momentum, Trust, Reflection, Possibility, Sacrifice, Relax, Organize, Pause, Be, Listen, Ignite, Determined, Balance, Silence, Release, Faith, Resolve, Together, Dare, Revel, Love, Minimize, Discover, Choose, Diligence, Brave, Risk, Open, Transition, Slow, More, Shine, Live, Write, Battle. 

All of these words are good.  Good words.  I like several of them.  I should pick several of them.  I'm tempted to pick one per month!  But that's not the point of the exercise.   I need to focus.  Draw down.  Narrow my thoughts down to one that frightens me a bit. I do many of these words.  Am many of these words.   What's the word that I'm not?  That doesn't come easily?

Trust.  The passage that comes to mind is Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your path.

The Hebrew word is Batach, a verb, To Trust.
To Trust In
To have confidence
To be bold
To be secure

The Greek word is Elpizo, a verb, to hope.
To wait for salvation with joy and confidence.

Root Word: Elpis
Expectation of good, of hope
Joyful and confident expectation of salvation
The author of hope, of He who is it's foundation
A thing hoped for

Noah Webster defines it as:
Confidence, a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person.

You can find Noah's Dictionary here.

All definitions lead to Confidence.

Interesting…. Confidence in Hebrew: Batach


Greek: Peitho verb  To Persuade

To be persuaded.
To believe
To listen to, to obey, to yield to, to comply with

TRUST

To trust in The Lord and lean not (support oneself)
To trust in myself, build on my strengths, learn from my weakness.
To trust in my relationships, believe the best in others.
To trust the journey, the road will rise up to meet me

To NOT trust in performance, perfection, perspectives, primes or prizes.
To NOT trust in ability, acceptance, attitudes, alternatives or achievement.

But to spend 2014 trusting, trusted, learning to trust, being a trustee.  It's scary, but as Ann said Fear is the First Step of Faith.  Let me be found being faithful.  Amen!