OK... so it's the beginning of another year, and many people are feeling compelled to make their annual New Year's resolution...
Do I want to set myself up to fail yet again?...
I just endured a week-long, annoying post-Christmas cold and I'm not feeling particularly motivated to make some huge life change right now. I'm barely back into my post-holiday routine and random, stray Christmas decorations are now collecting dust on shelves in remote rooms.
And so as I was cleaning at my Dad's this morning and praying as I worked, my mind wondered to what this New Year might bring. What posture should I take in welcoming in another year full of possibilities?
And then a single, "simple" word flashed into my mind. I knew immediately it was a word from my Lord- SIMPLIFY....to make less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier; clarify.
For me those single, clear words are always the most profound and also the most challenging to decipher and put into practice. "What does that look like, Lord?" I asked as I continued cleaning.
I noticed right away that the definition did not say "make plain or easy". Oh...that one word could miraculously transform our lives to one of ease and effortlessness. No, that would be too easy. "Plainer" and "easier" simply mean plainer and easier than it was before. And then there's that word "clarify" which means to illuminate.
I realize that a full revelation of my "Word for 2016" will take some time. In the weeks and months ahead God will unwrap this precious gift and understanding will come.
Above all things, my prayer for the New Year would be that my "simplified" life may reflect the glory and essence of my Lord and that His love would illuminate those areas that are not yet yielded to His will.
What is He speaking to you about this amazing gift called "2016"?
Do I want to set myself up to fail yet again?...
I just endured a week-long, annoying post-Christmas cold and I'm not feeling particularly motivated to make some huge life change right now. I'm barely back into my post-holiday routine and random, stray Christmas decorations are now collecting dust on shelves in remote rooms.
And so as I was cleaning at my Dad's this morning and praying as I worked, my mind wondered to what this New Year might bring. What posture should I take in welcoming in another year full of possibilities?
And then a single, "simple" word flashed into my mind. I knew immediately it was a word from my Lord- SIMPLIFY....to make less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier; clarify.
For me those single, clear words are always the most profound and also the most challenging to decipher and put into practice. "What does that look like, Lord?" I asked as I continued cleaning.
I noticed right away that the definition did not say "make plain or easy". Oh...that one word could miraculously transform our lives to one of ease and effortlessness. No, that would be too easy. "Plainer" and "easier" simply mean plainer and easier than it was before. And then there's that word "clarify" which means to illuminate.
I realize that a full revelation of my "Word for 2016" will take some time. In the weeks and months ahead God will unwrap this precious gift and understanding will come.
Above all things, my prayer for the New Year would be that my "simplified" life may reflect the glory and essence of my Lord and that His love would illuminate those areas that are not yet yielded to His will.
What is He speaking to you about this amazing gift called "2016"?