My One Word

I can bet most of you are probably familiar with the concept of choosing a word for your year.

When I first stumbled across the My One Word website just a handful of years ago, the simple power of the concept instantly grabbed hold of my heart. And I’m not the only one. In a pretty short space of time, the concept has ignited a firestorm of followers: an ever-increasing number of people determined to ditch those long lists of New Year’s resolutions in favor of choosing just one word to encapsulate their year. 

Grace.

Truth.

Compassion.

Sparkle.

Trust.

Nurture.

Persevere.

Thankful.

The words are as different as their bearers. Uniquely gifted to us. Because when God shows us our word for the year, it is a gift. Amazing how one simple word can give us laser focus. Can trigger radical change. Can be so simple, and yet unleash such growth in our lives.

Unlike a long list of resolutions, which are quickly forgotten and serve only to document our shortcomings, one word is a seed planted in our spirit. It resonates through our weeks and months and helps to frame our year.

Even this scatter-brained mother-of-three can remember one word.

I’ve seen the power of one word clearly in my own life. The last time I prayed for God to reveal a word to me for the year, he gave me the word “Connected.”

Connection. It was something I craved for, as a writer tucked away on the other side of the world. I longed to be part of the thriving writing community I’d caught a glimpse of at the one Stateside conference I’d attended. But I hardly knew where to begin.

This one word, given to me by God, informed the decisions I made that year. It takes time and effort to form relationships with others, and that’s one thing I have little of. Not to mention that I’m an introvert by nature. I don’t put myself out there. Yet, every time I hesitated before typing an email or leaving a comment on a blog, the same word whispered through my spirit. Connected. And so I would forge ahead. Take the time. Reach out a hand. Interact with openness and transparency. Communicate love to others.

And soon, sooner than I’d imagined or dreamed, strangers become friends.

The miracles God brought about through that one word? A critique group of American ladies who’ve become treasured kindred spirits. An overseas trip to ACFW conference, where I formed many wonderful new relationships. And finally, the chance to become a part of the Writers Alley, where I found my writing family. What an unexpected blessing.

All because of one simple word.

Fast-forward to this year. I sought God. I prayed about my word. I dreamed up various possibilities that I thought might help me along the path toward my goals. Words like Focus. Discipline. Self-Control. Good words. Useful words. Words I need to apply in my life.

None of them felt right.

It wasn’t until post-baby hormones and stressful circumstances recently combined to leave me an emotional mess that God finally whispered my word, clear and true, through the email of a fellow Alleycat.

Abide.

See, God seemed to be saying, you’ve had it all back-to-front. Don’t focus on the fruit you want to achieve. Focus on me. I am your source. I am your lifeblood. Abide in me, and I will bring the fruit.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, ESV)

I’m excited about tapping into God’s vision for my life this year. I’m excited about growing one word closer to the woman God wants me to be.

Why not take the One Word challenge yourself?

Do something about one thing this year instead of nothing about everything.

Will you join us?

What is your word for 2013?

Karen Schravemade lives in the land of Oz and likes to confuse her American friends by using weird Australian figures of speech. When she's not chasing after two small boys or cuddling her baby girl, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website, on Twitter or getting creative over at her mummy blog.

Life Critique: A Year in Review

There’s nothing like decking the Christmas tree in baubles and lights for bringing home the reality that another year is nearly at an end. Heard any of these lines lately? - or maybe you’ve uttered them yourself:

“Where on earth has this year gone?”

“The years seem to be speeding up the older I get.”

“It seems like only yesterday we were launching into the new year. The time has just vanished.”

Every year we say the same things to each other with the same tone of surprise. It’s true – the busier we become, and the more responsibilities life heaps onto our plate, the faster our minutes and days and weeks and months fly past. Before we know it, another year is gone. 

The bad news? We won’t ever get it back.

The good news? There’s a brand new one waiting right around the corner. J

We can’t change what’s been. We CAN, however, learn from the year that was. As writers, we’re good at critiquing our own work and that of others. But how many of us take the time to critique our lives?

They say the definition of insanity is doing things the way you’ve always done them and expecting a different result. A lot of us live our lives this way. We have an idea of what we’d like to achieve in life; what we want our lives to look like. But that’s all it ever is. An idea. Intangible. Unreachable. Somewhere, simmering down deep in our spirit, is the knowledge of our full potential. But as the years roll past, we learn to settle for mere survival. Our grip loosens on our dreams. Our vision clouds. It happens so slowly that often we don’t even realise it’s occurred.

That’s why it’s so important, every now and then, to pause.

Take some time out from the seasonal madness; the relentless demands of life, and think back on the year that was.

What did you do to move yourself in the direction of your dreams?

What steps did you take to serve others with the gifts God has given you?

Did you grow in spiritual depth and character, inching closer day by day to being the person you know God wants you to be?

The destination is not the important part here. Life is a journey. We’re never going to “arrive”. But have a look at where you’re standing compared to where you struck out from at the start of the year. And ask yourself:

Do you see progress – however small?

Are you moving forward, or are you walking in circles, doing the same old things and getting the same results?

Do you feel you’re on the right path with your life – or does it seem to you that in certain areas, you’ve lost your way?

These questions are not about condemnation or pointing out your shortcomings. We serve a God of grace. And the fact is that we all go through different seasons in our lives. Perhaps this year you’ve begun a new job, experienced ill-health, or cared for an elderly parent. For me, the year has been full to the brim with messy, exhausting, wonderful life. I’ve given birth to a precious daughter and parented three preschool-age children. I’ve survived sleep-deprivation, tantrums, potty-training, a teaching contract, curriculum development, home improvements and a new blogging schedule. Writing has taken a backseat this year.

And that’s okay.

Nothing is wasted in God’s economy. It’s easy for me to look back at this bewildering blur of a year and measure it merely in terms of what I did or didn’t do. To feel like a failure because of all the ways I didn’t measure up; the goals I didn’t achieve.

But I’m sensing that God wants more from us than an annual checklist of achievements. As always, he’s after our hearts.

And if our hearts are turned toward him, if we’re willing to let him use us, then he will, no matter what season we find ourselves in. The journey might be slow and incremental, but the important thing is that we’re moving forward. Making progress.

Maybe you feel like you haven’t made any progress this year in the areas that are important to you. The days and months have slipped past and you’re still right where you started. In that case, perhaps it’s time to lift your gaze and refresh your vision. God never condemns us, but he does challenge us to grow and change.

As the curtain falls on another year, I’m taking stock. How could I better use my time? How can I more effectively live out the adventure of the everyday as a wife, a mother, a writer, a daughter of destiny? How can I grow into my calling?

Lord, what do you want from us in 2013?

As you evaluate the year that was, what do you feel God impressing on your heart?

Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Karen Schravemade lives in the land of Oz and likes to confuse her American friends by using weird Australian figures of speech. When she's not chasing after two small boys or cuddling her baby girl, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website, on Twitter or getting creative over at her mummy blog.