My Stinkin' Word

-

So a great number of people I know have come up with a word for the year.


I’ve always thought that was a nice idea, but never really joined that camp. Well, this year I decided to participate. It wasn’t difficult because God has been whispering a word in my ear for months. The problem is. . . I didn’t like it. So, I decided I would work to come up with a new one. My dear friend Carol Tetzlaff came up with an incredible worksheet to help figure out what word God is speaking to each of us. I thought, “Okay, I’m gonna work on this. Surely I can come up with something else.” 


On December 31st many of my friends posted their words for the year. They were great! Brave, anticipation, health, rogue, service, reflect, fulfilled, gaze. . . Such lovely words. But, God didn’t give me a word like that. As I filled out the word worksheet, I could almost hear God say, “Seriously Christina. I already gave you your word, and you’re seriously doing this right now?” I continued writing. Have I ever told you how boldly defiant I can be? 


I filled out a few more parts of the worksheet, then finally conceded. “Ugh! Fine!  I’ll take it, but I’m not telling anyone.” Though I can be defiant, I usually come around to do what God is asking. He is so patient with me. So, today I share with you my stinkin’ word for the year. Yes, I said stinkin’. I’ll have a better attitude tomorrow. . . 


Sacrifice.


Seriously. That’s the word God gave me. It’s not glamorous, but I get it. I’m pretty sure I won’t have to sacrifice my firstborn (I hope). But there are some things I may have to lay down on the altar.


My opinion.

My time.

My money.

My control.

Whatever God asks me to.


My word certainly isn’t glamorous, but it sure will grow me. More of Him. Less of me.


“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:3-4‬ 


What is your word for the year?


If you would like help to find one, you can find the tool here. Word of the Year


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Should Someone Call an Exorcist?

-
Image
Last Friday I went bowling with some of my family. I am aware of my low skill level, so I remained humble throughout the first game, and surprisingly finished in 1st place!  The second game began and I just knew I would dominate even more. I may not have been quite as humble. I was last on the list to go. I stood up and approached my ball with confidence. I picked it up, set my eye on the center arrow painted on the lane, then took a few quick steps forward just as I had before.  As I took my last step, I swung my arm backward, then forward, and fell flat on my face. Actually, flat is not entirely accurate. I’m pretty sure every one of my limbs flew in a different direction, and the position of my head may have had folks wondering if they should call an exorcist. I also seemed to be temporarily blinded from the fall but could hear my ball bouncing its way down the lane. Let’s pause for a moment of prayer. The problem was that I had stepped over the foul line into the lane— 1. Not reali
Read more

The Complexity of Prayer

-
Image
Have you ever considered the complexity of prayer? Have you ever had something you needed to pray about, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to talk to God about whatever the issue was? I have experienced that many times. I will call it “Prayer paralysis.” Prayer paralysis happens when you are afraid of any answer God might give you. If He says no, then you might feel bad, or sad, or even angry. If He says yes, then your fear factor increases because you just don’t think you can handle what a “Yes” entails (which essentially means that you don’t trust Him). So instead of revealing your lack of trust (Like seriously, you don’t think He knows? ), you just don’t pray. It’s kind of like when you were a little kid, and you would sit still and close your eyes, thinking that it would make you invisible. God already knows our fears of failure, self-pride, and even our trust issues, so we might as well just go ahead and lay it all at His feet. There’s another kind of prayer paralysis that I ha
Read more

Go Deeper

-
Image
  Anyone struggling with anxiety? I have struggled with it quite a bit. Then, I realize that forgetting to bring all of my anxiety-inducing problems to God, is a big part of the problem. Yesterday I talked about living in endurance mode. Part of that is taking all of the difficult things, and trying to wait them out.  If I really think about it, I may have subconsciously believed that struggling is just part of the journey and that I need to suck it up, because Jesus went through way more than I ever will.    But, “ Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)  He never intended for us to hold onto them. Sometimes we don’t bother saying anything to God because, well, He knows what’s happening. He can change it if He wants to. So we sit paralyzed—enduring! Is that familiar to anyone? Though He could whisk our struggles away at any time, part of the journey, part of our relationship with the Creator is rooted in commu
Read more