A doorway into a little hillside . . . what lingers beyond?
Happy 15th Year to my choosing a WORD OF THE YEAR! Committing to a word for a year is transformational . . . and 15 years now is mind boggling and an exciting adventure.
This year's word though, didn't come to me easily. I guess I had too many expectations, pondered too many different words, and actually I wanted a specific word, but it didn't feel right for this year. So I waited and asked a few friends to pray. And then the waiting continued. Even the word "wait" crossed my mind as I waited, but I knew that my special word would eventually choose me.
This year's word though, didn't come to me easily. I guess I had too many expectations, pondered too many different words, and actually I wanted a specific word, but it didn't feel right for this year. So I waited and asked a few friends to pray. And then the waiting continued. Even the word "wait" crossed my mind as I waited, but I knew that my special word would eventually choose me.
This year has already had a few bumps. The kind where you know the enemy is lurking and trying to thwart all your efforts to flourish. The more I read my Bible, the more I felt the anguish and I knew I couldn't change the attacks, but I could change my perspective.
My first book read for the new year was The Five Silent Years of Corrie Ten Boom. The story is beautiful and full of inspiration. I had so many notes running through my head as I turned each page, but what stood out the most was Corrie ten Boom's example of seeing things in a different light;
her amazing perspective always glorified God
— this concept of perspective was starting to brew deep within my soul. Her example, despite so many hardships and losses, always had a vision that glorified God in all things. And then the very last paragraph of the book spoke clearly to my heart:
"It is not so much what happens, but how we take it, that is important," Tante Corrie had often told me. Through the hard circumstances of the last years of her life, the Lord had shown me the paradox: The deepest fellowship with Him lies in not resisting when suffering comes our way, but in going through it resolutely with Him.- Corrie ten Boom, The Five Silent Years of Corrie ten Boom
This was such beautiful insight, and I'm looking forward to try and follow her example in the days ahead this year. We don't always know what lies behind the closed doors in the days forthcoming, but being mindful with a vision to glorify God, just might bring the hidden walkways to something amazing!
perspective
/ (pəˈspɛktɪv) /
noun
a way of regarding situations, facts, etc, and judging their relative importance
the proper or accurate point of view or the ability to see it; objectivity: try to get some perspective on your troubles
...and behind this door, was a tunnel that led to a castle!
Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs, CO
My previous "Word of the Year" choices:
2009 — compassion
2010 — yearn
2011 — tomorrow
2012 — beloved (be loved)
2013 — abundance
2014 — be still
2015 — nourish
2016 — slow
2017 — restore
2018 — meaningful
2019 — quiet
2020 — less {little did I know with the pandemic coming!}
2021 — explore
2022 — prepare
2023 — PERSPECTIVE
There is so much power in perspective. I focused on this word for 2 years during the pandemic and it honestly helped me weather some really tough times. Perspective and gratitude have become words that I now incorporate into my daily mediations. I wish you all the best in the new year!
ReplyDeleteShelbee on the Edge
Oh, I imagine that having the word "perspective" pondered during the pandemic would certainly bring about so much reflection. I understand how the words we choose for each year do seem to be incorporated into our daily lives regularly. I'm looking forward to what the word perspective will show me.
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