OUR WORLD VIEW: To resolve or not to resolve...

I've never been big on resolutions in the new year. Back when I made them, the "resolve" of the resolution only seemed to last a few weeks. Then there were forty-some weeks left in the year to feel like a failure. So I started something new about five years ago, not long after the cancer. I decided...since I'm such a WORD freak...I would choose one word, a theme of sorts for my focus in the new year. I taped them to the fridge, wrote them on the white board in my office, even recited them again and again like a memorization technique. And I always lifted up my focus word in prayer with the petition that the Lord would help me in my pursuit.

On January 1st, 2010, my chosen word was RENEW. Over the year, I managed to (mostly) keep my promise to renew my strength with daily quiet time in the scriptures, one day each week with absolutely no work distractions, and a concerted effort to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. At the end of 2010, I looked back over my year with joy. I'd managed to make it a year of RENEWAL.

For 2011, my word was LEARN. Looking back, I almost wish I'd chosen a different word. The intent was to increase my knowledge of history and scripture, to learn something new every month... But in hindsight, at the end of the year, I realized that asking such a thing of God was a little like praying for patience. He's going to provide REASONS to exercise patience, and that can sometimes be pretty painful. Praying that He will teach you something is much the same. In 2011, I learned in no uncertain terms that I am nothing without God; I learned that everything I am and everything I have to offer...it all depends on His grace. I learned to reach out and ask for help, even though that is the one area where I've always struggled. And I learned that God will heal you when He's ready, even if it means waiting until you're at the very brink of death. Not a fun lesson, but I did indeed LEARN a lot in 2011.

For 2012, after much prayer and thought, I chose the word SHINE. I have resolved this year to take the gifts the Lord has given me and really polish them so that I can shine in my surroundings. If that means working harder at being a stellar writer or stretching beyond my comfort zone to reach out to people who might need what I have to give, teach, say or do. Already, it's not proving a simple task to SHINE, but I'm committed.

How about you? Do you have a focus word for 2012? If you don't, why don't you devote a little thought and prayer to it and let us know where you land? I'd love to hear your thoughts.