Today, for the first time in a very long time, I’m late with my Word Wednesday blog.
This makes me laugh.
Want me to let you in on the joke?
This year, I decided to follow in the footsteps of some close friends and ask God to give me a word for the year. This word is supposed to be my focus in 2012, something to help shape me, to grow me into a better person. For the past week, I thought the funniest part of this exercise was the fact that, when I went to pray about my word, God gave it to me when I’d only gotten half of the first sentence of my prayer out. It’s like He was ready and waiting to fire that one at me. Can’t you just see Him, grinning and tossing that word back and forth in His hands so that the minute I asked He could launch it? The speed with which it came left me laughing on my knees, because God and I both know this is a word I sorely need.
Since this is WORD Wednesday, my plan was to share my WORD with you this week. And now I’m late. Which is funny. Because the word God gave me to help me shape my year? Discipline. As in…
You may laugh now. In fact, you may feel free to snort coffee out your nose if you are a writer and drink coffee. Don’t worry. I won’t mind. Me and my oh-so-disciplined self will be right there too… as soon as I go buy coffee. Because I ran out…
Yep, my word for the year is working already.
-JB
Sandy Rosser says
I’m rigjt there with you! I’m working on a 3-week lesson for my Sunday School class about discipline and self-control. The past two weeks I’ve been saying “God, I know this is what you want me to teach, but I have trouble with this.” Then it dawned on me that I’m probably the one who needs the 3 lessons and teaching to my class is just a by-product of what He wants me to learn. Can’t wait for our next Bible study to start. Loved the post. God has a sense of humor doesn’t He?
Jodie says
I sure hope He does. Especially after today.
Kristi says
Oh girl, that needs to be mine too!! Enjoyed your post!!
Jodie says
Thank you, Kristi!
Kay shostak says
Awesome – and you did make me laugh out loud!
Jodie says
You would definitely appreciate my irony on that one. Go figure this would be my duh day!
Christina Suzann Nelson says
That’s great! Go for it, Jodie! Can’t wait to see how you grow this year. I’m feeling better about getting reach for my word!
Jodie says
I LOVE reach!
Susan says
Hi Jodie, I’m friends with Edie & Kristi, and was dying to check this out. And I’m glad I did – we are kindred spirits, my coffee snorting amiga…
My word is FOCUS but I can’t find my readers, so…
Jodie says
Love kindred spirits! And you made me laugh. 🙂
Dawn Lucowitz says
I have been praying about a word for the year for a few weeks now. Something that can help focus me when I sit down to read my bible and something I can intentionally work on this year. So far the word that keeps jumping out at me is surrender. As I was running the other day, this word kept showing up in my head. Then I started thinking about looking up the places this word is used in the bible and a bunch of other ways I can learn more about surrendering.
When I got back from my run I pulled out my exhaustive NIV concordance and was kind of disappointed. This word is almost never used in the bible, at least the NIV version. Then, the more I thought about it, the more I liked that idea. We know that there are stories of surrender all throughout the bible, and just because the word surrender isn’t used, doesn’t mean it won’t be everywhere I look. The greatest story of Jesus is of his complete and total surrender to his father’s will. “My Father, if it possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
I want to focus my year on complete and total surrender to my Lord and Savior. I want to surrender everything to Him. Not just the “easy” things to give up to Him, but all things. I want to be more mindful in prayer before I do anything to be sure I am following His will for me and not just my own. I want to follow the path he wants me to take and not just create my own. I know this will not be easy, especially at first. The most difficult part of this journey for me is really listening and being tuned in to what and where God is leading me.
So, that will be my word. Surrender.
Jodie says
I LOVE this word! You’re almost making me wish it had been the one I chose. Even though it’s not, I think I’m going to have to be more mindful of it. I am so bad about going to God with EVERYTHING before I do it. Too often, I leap then pray after I’ve hit the concrete on my face. I should hit the floor and pray first. Great, great word. (As for me? Still trying to kick start the self-discipline…)