Thursday, January 23, 2014

One Word or Two

                                       One Word

 
I have always when a New Year arrives made resolutions as I am sure most of us have done too! As we reflect on the past year we set our goals and make our list. So what happens then? It is an all too familiar story, we rarely if ever keep our resolutions and are well thought out plans fizzle out! We set off in a determined manner but our focus drifts and soon our resolutions are forgotten. 


There has been much "buzz" recently about "one word"  although this concept has been around for sometime now. I have read much about it and now this has been set as our January homework. I am excited as I embark on this journey for one word or in my case two! Even more excited as my partner has joined in with me on the journey for the year too. 

So  now to find a word or two which I will have as my focus for the year. I truly wanted to seek the Lord's will in this and have Him reveal the word He wanted me to focus on. A word that I needed to work on in my life. So here began the difficult part. I was so surprised to find what I thought would be easy turned out be much harder than I had imagined! I spent each day in prayer asking the Lord to show me what He would like for me to focus on. The Lord soon impressed on my heart the word He wanted me to have. I knew this was so needed. After this however I find my mind filling with other words and this baffled me. I knew I did not want to have more than two words and I prayed and prayed asking the Lord why are so many words appearing and what am I being shown? It was not long before another word came to me. So now I could begin my homework and focus on the words for the year. I was ready to start my journey.

And then a strange experience and the second word changed yet again! I cannot even explain the analogy of this. I went to check a yogurt pot's expiry date in the fridge and tipped the pot upside down to check and suddenly yogurt was pouring into my basket which was on the floor! The lid had not been on tightly. All my important paperwork, and other documents in my basket and now smothered in yogurt! Here started a "mop up exercise and salvaging." In the midst of this chaos came my second word. This word encompassed all those words that had floated around in my head. So amazing how the Lord works. One thing I did learn was that a small amount of yogurt goes a long way!!
 
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28 
 
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy: at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Psalm 16:11
 
 
 
 

So my first word for 2014 is
Declutter 
So this is my first word. When I think of declutter I find words that spring to my mind. Release, Let go, remove, and eliminate are but a few. So what is a definition of this word?  The Oxford dictionary  gives the meaning as "remove unnecessary items." This is a particularly and much needed word for me this year. I so want to release past hurts, pain, betrayals, bad memories, let downs, heartache, disappointments, sadness and so much more. I want to declutter and let go of all of this. All those things that I cling on to that rob me of joy, I want to release all those things that stop me moving forward and keep me stuck in what seems like a time warp! I want to declutter and let go of all the past hurts and pain that repeatedly hurt me again and again as I cling and revisit them. These past hurts and pain appear in my mind and I relive those awful moments over and over again  remembering every detail vividly as if it was just the first time I have gone through this. Sometimes crying myself to sleep. 

 
 

 
I am reminded of
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 
 
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.Psalms 55:22

Casting all your care upon Him: for He careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7
 
So many times over and over I have heeded these words and given my burdens to Him only to reclaim them time and time again! Forgiving is easy but forgetting seems to be a stumbling block for me. This year I want to hand it all to the Lord and not reclaim as I so often do. I want to live in peace,joy and be pain and hurt free. I so want to declutter my mind and remove all that robs me of enjoying all that God has given me and all the countless blessings He has bestowed on me. No longer do I want to lie in the dark of night unable to sleep allowing my mind to wander back to painful times. I want to claim all of God's promises, trust and to believe. Not only do I want to let go of all what I replay in my mind I want to simplify and declutter generally. I am such a hoarder and hold onto everything always thinking " well one day I might just need this!" So what better time to declutter my thoughts and my life as I embark on my one word, well two word journey!
 
Dear Lord,
I come to you today and lay all of my past burdens, grief, pain, hurt, sadness, disappointments, and betrayal at your feet. You have promised that if I bring my burdens to you, you will sustain,heal and bear all of this for me. I ask that you declutter my mind and not reclaim all of this. Release me from the chains that bind me and let me fully experience  your love, joy and peace. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

 
And my Second word
Faithful
The Lord revealed that the second word for me this year is "Faithful." So what is a definition of this word?  Some definitions I found were "remaining loyal and steadfast, adhering firmly and devotedly, true and and constant are but a few.
 
 
Before this word was revealed I had many words come to mind and had chosen them only to find another word would come after much prayer. My second word had been "Thankful" and then "Prayer" It was after an accident with a pot of yogurt that the Lord revealed that my word had to be changed. I felt strongly that the Lord had worked in revealing "Faithful" as it encompassed the words that I had chosen previously. I live with an attitude of gratitude and since my major surgery four years ago this gratitude has been enhanced. I now thank Him for everyday things much more, a rainbow, a sunset, singing birds, Spring flowers which I had not done before. As I reflect back I see whilst I do this my thanks is not always consistent. I want to be faithful every day, day in and day out. I have found that living in gratitude is life changing. Then prayer-I pray every day, through the day and at night and in those waking hours during the night.  Those words thankful and consistent come to mind. I want my Prayer life to be faithful and to be my steering wheel and not my spare tire as Corrie Ten Boom has said. I want to have devoted time for prayer and not hurried and to have devotion time too. I want to be faithful and consistent in my prayers. A faithful prayer life helps us to resist the Devil. I want to experience the presence of the Lord each and every day, to hear His voice and to trust Him every day.


Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
 
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Ephesians 6:18
 
So Faithful is what I want to be in my walk with Him. I want to seek Him, hear Him, serve Him and faithfully thank Him for good times, valley times, in small things and big things! 
I want to claim His comfort, encouragement and unending love and to follow Him faithfully. How faithful He has been in my life in so many wonderful ways! 

With the Lord's leading with this word I believe it also applies to my everyday life and He wants me to be faithful here too. Faithful with my family and friends and all that I do. Faithful in encouraging and supporting and inspiring.


Dear Lord,
Help me to know which path to take, help me to hear your voice, and to truly come to know you. Lord help me to serve you faithfully with all that I have.  Thank you for all your faithful protection and your many blessings.
in Jesus Name I pray, Amen. 

 
 
 
 

7 comments:

  1. Wonderful words, Linda. The 'declutter' one was especially profound. I feel the same way. God uses many unusual things to get our attention - like yogurt, for instance!

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  2. This was great Linda and I loved the pictures too. They gave me a calm peace while reading. I like both of your words and declutter has come to my mind also. I would like to see a picture of Michael too. Maybe a new header of you both holding hands or something since you are on this walk together. That is so special. Hugs

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  3. Linda, I read your post with tears in my eyes, as I know the pain that you have experienced in life. I also know that we serve a faithful God - one that can & will bring complete healing & use your hurts to help others. Last year, my word was 'Simplify', & that entailed decluttering too. It was truly life changing. I let go of so much - not only things in my home, but also in my heart & mind. I will cheer you on as you live by your words this year! You will find blessings abound as your grow in this! You will also meet challenges, as Satan never is keen for real change to take place. Love you Linda! Thank you for sharing!

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  4. Linda, what an awesome jon on your homework!! I love everything you wrote and the photos are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your heart so beautifully.
    HUGS

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  5. Wonderful post Linda, great job on the homework and I really liked your hubby's too! Thanks for sharing your innermost feelings!!

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  6. I love the 2 words the Lord gave you for this year's focus, Linda! I tend to be a pack rat too - and through some much-needed indoor updates (painting, replacing carpet, etc.) I've had to prepare myself for the decluttering process! And what a good reminder of the decluttering we need to do in our personal lives. Faithfulness is also something I struggle with. Thanks for sharing your prayers in this post! God bless you my friend as the Lord gives you everything you need to focus on decluttering and being faithful! Hugs & blessings~

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  7. Beautiful, my friend. May the Lord truly give you grace day by day to *declutter* and be *faithful*...He is the One to Whom we run for strength and help moment by moment. How precious it is to belong to HIM! Your photos in this post are gorgeous...just had to mention that. And...your new blog backgrounds are so pretty...both here and on your other blog. Blessings to you...and Hugs! Camille

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