One Word.
I always find it sort of funny to write “I have a friend” when I have not met the person in real life.
(Even though I do have friends whom I have never met in the flesh. Yet.)
But I have met this person in real life.
At Story.
(Even if the meeting was short and I was afraid that Alece did not remember me from our e-mail exchanges. And I maybe acted a bit like a tongue-tied teenager. I mean, that might have been how it went down. Maybe. You know.)
Ahem.
Alece writes this beautiful raw and compelling blog, Grit & Glory.
And she has this lovely idea.
Pick one word.
Just one word.
And focus on that word for the entire year of 2011.
She’s invited her readers to join her on this one word challenge.
And I’ve decided to accept her invitation.
I’ve thought about my word for a few weeks now.
I know the words I have allowed to define me in the past.
Words like
And
fear.
And I knew I wouldn’t be settling on those guys.
I sorted through a list of others.
(Yes, I made a literal, with-a-pen-on-paper list.)
I wrote down redeem and be and enough and satisfy and steady and shalom.
I thought long and often about words like maintain and persevere.
And I almost landed on one of those.
But those words, for me, were so –
stagnant.
Not going backwards but not going forward either.
And I have had more than my fair share of stagnant in the last few years.
I’m pretty exhausted from the effort of standing still.
And all those words led me to two more words.
Free.
And
Thrive.
I’ve tossed them back and forth.
Free. Thrive. Thrive. Free.
It’s hard to pick one word.
Ultimately, I made my resting place on one.
(Ultimately, as in, while I was typing this post.)
Free.
Because I cannot thrive until I am free.
(Maybe I’ll pick thrive next year.)
Until I embrace being free, I cannot embrace thriving.
Free.
That’s my one word.
Free from fear.
And bitterness.
Free from unforgiving
and anger.
Free from fear of man.
Free to embrace the beauty that is around me.
Free to see me as God sees me.
Free from fruitless efforts to please others
and free to focus on making my life pleasing to the God who created it.
Free.
Let it be, 2011.
Let it be.
Free.
(You can pick one word too. In fact, I think you should. And tell me what you chose. Because I want to know.)
20 Comments
Jesse Wickstrum
My word is "Why".
Question everything. And of each thing, ask "Why?"
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Prudence
I like that I can relate to you in a word choosing you. That happened to me last year. Fear chose me. I'd never experienced so much fear in my life. This year my word is grace.
Darrell Powell
This is easy.
I have had my word of ponder for over 25 years,
and no doubt will have it for 2011
"Sovereign"
Amanda
So, I’ve been brewing over a word for a few days and I think I’ve got it! I don’t know if you are like me when it comes to reading scripture but often times I will read something and then days…weeks…months pass and it wil flit around in my mind in part and not in whole. I then find myself wondering where is that from and why is it coming to mind now.
There’s this verse that’s been taunting me…oh, all of 2010 and I finally found it today. It’s Matthew 23:25-26, “Woe to you, techers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the oustside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
Ok, so there is the verse that has driven me crazy everyday. Every time I wash dishes. Every time I wash my children. Everytime I wash myself. I “do” a really good job at keeping things clean and in order…on the outside. I want the inside to be clean so the outside will truly be clean. My word…as if you don’t know…clean.
LaceyKeigley
I think this is a wonderful word for you.
And I think you are doing a beautiful job of achieving that inner cleanliness too – it does show through!
On a lighter note . . .
I was crawling around in our Suburban today and after our trip to Florida – it is pretty trashed. I kept thinking of you and how tidy my car and my kids' car seats wold be if I was you.
Sherry
I agree…Free is a great word and has so many meanings to so many people! Its a good word…..Im gonna steal it!
Sarah W.
I, as well, have heard about this one word for the year 2011.
My word this year is Joy.
To choose joy no matter the circumstances.
To find the good in all things, instead of the obvious bad.
To truly be grateful for who God is and what He's making of my life.
Joy.
LaceyKeigley
Love this word.
So glad you are doing this too.
Joy.
Perfect choice.
Mary Hess
I love this Lacey!
We all long to be free – at least I know I do. ;o)
I did the OneWord2011 Challenge as well. . . .http://maryhess.com/2011/01/01/one-word-2011/
Happy New Year!
alece
"I’m pretty exhausted from the effort of standing still." wow. i know exactly what you mean…
i love your word, lacey. FREE. i can't seem to say it — or even think it — without clenching my eyes tight. as if i'm mustering up all the strength i've got just to sound out the letters. FREE. the price has already been paid for my freedom. so why do i walk around in chains as though His payment wasn't enough? sigh…
going to bed thinking on this tonight. i needed it. thank you, dear in-real-life friend.
LaceyKeigley
Thank you Alece.
nikkie
a great word, lacey.
free is a great word.
i need some of that word, too…
T.J.
This is a cool idea. I'm really glad you shared it; I'll be passing it along as well.
I've decided to focus on the word "awake."
Yes, I like to sleep. Sleep is a gift from God. =) But that's not what I'm talking about.
I want to feel awake on the inside.
While I am very grateful for everything I have and don't really regret the things I've done, I don't really want to be satisfied with maintaining the status quo.
I want to be active in how my life turns out and not just reactive to whatever circumstances come my way.
I tend to play it safe. I want to try something new.
I don't want my life to be just about me. I want my eyes to be open to the people around me–their hopes, their dreams, their needs.
I want to feel excited about the things that I am doing. I want to feel like I'm making a difference. I want to enjoy the life that God has given to me.
I want to be awake.
LaceyKeigley
This comment is a beautiful piece of writing all by itself.
I love your word – awake.
And I love the idea of no longer reacting and of no longer being satisfied with the status quo.
Me too.
Andrea
My 2011 word will be Trust. I’m going to have to do that this year. God is calling me to become a stay at home mom. Losing my 30k salary will be different. It will be harder.
But it won’t be as hard if I choose to not follow Him.
Pray for me please. I know I won’t regret this choice. I’ve prayed about it, long and hard. It is the desire of my heart, but my mind still says “bills, bills, bills”.
LaceyKeigley
Your mind will always say "bills bills bills".
But God's word will always say the verse that I literally just wrote on our chalkboard wall for our memory verse this week – "Do not worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow has enough troubles of its own."
I will pray for you.
And I, like you, am confident that you will not regret the decision.
(The days are long, but the years are short!)
Sherry
Totally agree….the years are short.
Rachel
My word is messy. Because life is messy. And messy is good, because it's real and honest. I even wrote about it on New Years Eve, before I knew of this challenge. And, for me, messy IS freeing.
LaceyKeigley
Messy is totally freeing.
I get that.
Embrace what your life really looks like right now.
And with a son as young as yours, life changes that you have gone through last year and a husband whose job demands loads of travel – messy will be normal.
Better to love it then resist it.
And messy is fun.