One word

This post is written by my wonderful wife Lauren. She recently wrote this as part of a newsletter to pastor’s wives in our denomination.

I have never been the type of person to make New Year’s resolutions. But for some reason, heading into 2013 I felt inspired to do something to shake me out of my ordinary routine.

If I’m being completely honest the last couple of years of my life have operated a lot like this: Once I get through (name a season) I’ll have time to focus on (any number of good things that just haven’t happened!).

Well the last couple of years have flown by and for the most part I never managed to make time to focus on many, if any, of those jobs or goals that have been floating around in the back of my mind FOREVER!

I’ve been so busy focusing on making it through another week that most of the time I completely forget that there is more to life than: getting my kids off to school clean and fed, keeping my house from degrading further into chaos, a church building project, making it to work on time, (you fill in the blank) …

A challenge to myself

So to challenge myself to look beyond just what’s happening at the end of my nose and be more aware of the “big picture”, this year I wanted to try choosing one word to focus on.

I was first introduced to this “one word” idea via Ali Edwards (scrapbooker and blogger) about 5 years ago. Since then Christians seem to have taken hold of this idea with the purpose of asking God to reveal one word to focus on or guide them through a new year.

One word: Expect

I’ve been meaning to try choosing one word for a couple of years now and just never made the time to sit down and ask God to impress one upon my heart. So at the end of 2012 I took some time to do that and the one word that I kept coming back to was EXPECT.

I wasn’t entirely surprised by this word EXPECT, although when I started this process I was quite sure that the word God really meant was “expectations”.

I say that because for the last five years or so understanding expectations is something that in our marriage, Kevin and I have been deliberately addressing in an effort to become more emotionally and spiritually mature.

We remind each other all the time that “expectations are only valid if they are verbally expressed and mutually agreed upon”. That one little principle has been a huge game changer in our marriage.

I know I still have a lot to learn in this area! But the more I’ve thought and prayed about my word the more obvious it became that God was giving me EXPECT.

Questions to consider

So here’s where I think He’s going with this word……

What do I EXPECT of myself? Do I even know why I expect that? Am I being too hard on myself or are my expectations too low?

What do I EXPECT of others? Am I being honest and realistic with them? Am I extending grace to others?

What do others EXPECT of me? Is what they expect realistic? Do I need to check my assumptions about what I believe others expect of me? Do I need to do a better job of maintaining healthy boundaries?

What do I EXPECT from God? What do I believe about the character of God and what do I base those beliefs on? Do I believe His promises? Do I trust His intentions?

These are all questions I want to consider and as I begin a fresh new year full of potential and possibility.

Expecting God to work in 2013

What I am really looking forward in 2013 is EXPECTing to see God at work in my life.

I believe that 2013 is going to be a year full of opportunities to depend on God, to address some of the doubts and questions that have been simmering on my back burner, to EXPECT to see God come through in a real and life-changing way.

EXPECT is a big word. It’s full of hope and anticipation.

For me EXPECT is a huge reminder to constantly be in prayer. In fact, the word EXPECT reminds me of this verse:

I think that’s where I’m going to start.

What is your one word for 2013?

A Few Related Posts You May Find Useful:

The most dangerous word in the English language is . . . Sermon Synopsis 8/2 – Studying God’s Word One Word at a Time … Paths Milestones and markers Surrender Tomorrow is a dangerous word Bob Newhart’s 2 word counseling method How to clarify expectations