My One Word for 2013

It's the first day of a new year.  Maybe you're one of those people who religiously make resolutions every January 1.  I'm not.  I've taken to saying "I can't break what I don't make".  But this year, I thought I'd try a different approach...the concept of "one word".  

Perhaps you're very familiar with the idea.  Until last year when my blogging friend Dawn from Beneath the Surface: Breath of Faith unveiled her one word for 2012 - "Less" - I had never heard of such a thing. The idea is to intentionally focus on one God-given word throughout the year that will resonate with your heart and act as a reminder and challenge.  I figure I may not be able to do a laundry list of things, but I can meditate on one word.  

Last year I didn't officially take one on, although "Surrender" has been my 'unofficial' word for 2 or 3 years now. 

This year, a local friend and fellow blogger Pam from In The Shadow of His Wings shared that Melanie from Only A Breath was creating and giving away free blog "buttons" with the "one word" of your choice.  I knew I wanted to participate and immediately, one word jumped to mind.  I was shocked it wasn't "surrender".  I don't think I've mastered that word by a long shot, but every time I tried to set my new word aside, thinking 'I haven't really prayed on this...let me think about it some more', it came charging back into my brain.  In all honesty, another word never even made the list for consideration.

So while you may have guessed it from the large button on this post, my one word for 2013 is...CONSISTENCY.

I confess, it doesn't sound very pious.  It's not like "praise" or "believe" or "trust".  It sounds more like the moral to the story of the hare and the turtle...slow and steady wins the race.  But then again, Hebrews 12:1 says "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  You can't really persevere if you aren't consistent.

As I sat down to write this unveiling post, I looked up consistency for a dictionary definition.  I was surprised by what I read.  It's not that I didn't know of the other definition, it's that I never thought about it and how beautifully it also encapsulated what I hoped to do this year.

Consistency:

1. a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.

2. steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc

3. agreement, harmony, or compatibility, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing: 

4. the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form; solidity or firmness.

I was only thinking of the word in terms of the second definition - steadfast adherence.  As I thought about what my resolutions WOULD be if I made them, more regular Bible reading and prayer, writing every day...even if just a few sentences, and getting back to regular exercise and healthier eating, I thought if I could just be consistent in my practice of those things, I could accomplish much in the coming year.  

But looking at the rest of the definition I see the layers of meaning that God intended.  

Density and firmness.  I want a firmly planted, deep-rooted faith that can only be watered through the consistency of time alone with God.

Agreement, harmony or compatibility - especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing.  As I write new chapters in my book - or think about them because I haven't committed word to page - they need to be in harmony with the existing ideas.  I struggle to have the parts create a compatible whole.

Retaining form; solidity or firmness.  Okay, this one might be a stretch, but what 50 year who needs to get back to an exercise routine doesn't dream of retaining (or regaining) her form and achieving firmness?   

Levity aside, I think that consistency is the perfect word for me this year.  It fits the needs in every aspect of my life.  And since I serve a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever, and He lives within me, I think it's an attainable goal.  I'm not going to achieve perfection, but I can certainly aim for consistency.

You don't need to have a blog or a button to challenge yourself in this way this year.  Take some time to pray about it and then jot your word down on an index card.  Keep it in your wallet, put it on your dashboard or affix it to your mirror.  My prayer for each of us is that we will be consistent in focusing on our personal "one word" and seeing how God works through it!   

Happy New Year!






  

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