2011

For the past couple of years, at the start of the year I have prayed about a word that I want the coming year to be marked by. I think the first year I did this was 2009 - the word that was pressed upon my heart that year, was JOY. I wanted 2009 to be marked by joy, and God taught me more about joy that year than I could have imagined - and in ways I NEVER expected. 2010 I chose "steadfastness." I was drawn to the verse "my heart is steadfast oh God, my heart is steadfast..." (ps. 57:7) I wanted 2010 to be marked by my steadfast heart - yet again, I was shown something different than expected. In reflecting on 2010, all I can say is that I learned more about God's steadfastness - and my lack thereof, reminding me once again that I cannot do this whole "life" thing on my own. I don't know why I so often think I can! Lauren Chandler wrote a blog recently and a line that stuck out to me, was when she said:

"There have been moments that I have gratefully sought shelter in the shadow of the Cross and moments that I have tried to climb up on that Cross and blasphemously become my own messiah."

That pretty much sums it up.

This year, the word that keeps coming to me, is REFRESH.

I think God wants this year to be a year of refreshment for me, and I think He wants me to learn how to be the kind of person with whom others find refreshment. I think God wants to refresh my mind, and heart - reminding me of who He is, and who I am in Him. I did a Bible word search on the word, and this verse stood out to me:

"Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that he may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time" -Acts 3:19-21

What struck me about this verse is the reminder that refreshing comes from the PRESENCE OF THE LORD.

This is what I need to learn - what I must daily remind myself of. I so often seek refreshment from so many other sources - but they always come up short, and I never quite feel at peace when I am seeking after those other things.

I pray that this will be a year of being in the Lord's Presence - for that is where I will find true refreshment. I also pray that through receiving refreshment by being in the Presence of the Lord, I might learn to be a refreshment to others.

Thy will be done, Father.

2011: The year of Refreshment

p.s. in keeping with the theme of the year, if any of you would like to go out and partake in some sort of refreshment, let me know :) (see def. 1)