Tuesday, December 29, 2009

One Word, or Verse....



H

ey there! We have been enjoying our Christmas break so much here.... Not only have I been blessed to have oldest daughter Micah and her husband Joshua in the area once again, but Nate has also been home for almost two weeks on break from the Army. We have laughed and sledded (we received 12" of snow on Christmas Eve here!) and cooked and spent time in God's Word and generally had a fabulous time together.

This week between Christmas and New Year's Day has to be one of my favorite times of the year. I love looking back to see all that has happened in the past year and also love looking ahead in anticipation of the year ahead.

The last few years I have found myself intrigued by the idea of choosing one word to focus on during the coming year. To check out this idea, you can go here to read Ali Edwards explanation and even read lists of words that others have used in past years. I really like this idea, but have not quite followed through on this in the past to my satisfaction. This year as I considered the "one word" concept, I realized that what I really wanted to do was to prayerfully choose a verse from the Bible to focus on during the coming year.

I am still praying and considering, but I think that the verse I am choosing for this year is going to be Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

As I have mentioned before, the children and I have been working on memorizing Philippians this past year. We are almost done with the fourth and final chapter now. I'm so excited about this! Even the little children can recite the whole book (and correct me when I make a mistake!).

Memorizing Scripture is, without a doubt, one of the activities that I have never regretted spending time on. We will definitely be continuing this in 201o.

As I considered what verse to choose for this coming year, I was drawn to Phil. 4:6 because of the two key words in it: prayer and thanksgiving. Both words have been frequently on my heart.

Prayer: with each passing year, my responsibilities become greater and also my concern for those I love. As my circle of friends broadens and my children embark on the hefty decisions of adulthood, I find more reasons than ever before to lean on my Precious Savior in prayer.

Thanksgiving: as I have learned (and continue to learn) to be fully-engaged and live thankfully and joyfully in each and every circumstance that the Lord places me in, I find myself better equipped to meet the needs of those around me.

Of course the verses proceeding and following Phil.4:6 are fabulous too. But I decided to limit myself to one verse in particular that I hope to focus on and, by God's grace make more fully a part of my life this year.

What about you? If you want to choose a verse for 2010 I'd love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment. If you are reading this on Facebook, you might want to go to my blog to read others comments there. I'm looking forward to hearing what you'll be focusing on!

susan


4 comments:

  1. Hi Susan!

    I love this idea!!! I was just lamenting to God that usually I have some grand plan by now and this year I don't. Also, in my devotions this morning 'prayer' was huge, believing prayer to be exact and it left me going hmmmmm. I can tell He is up to something. And the funny thing too, is that thanksgiving or praise has been a huge message to me for the past couple of years (much room for growth ;-)

    anyway, loved your idea!!!

    Blessings to you and how wonderful to have your children home!

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  2. I'm still up in the air about my "word". I like the idea of a verse...there's just SO many to choose from!!

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  3. You are a lovely friend in this blogging world...thanks for sharing such beautiful posts! What a blessing that the Lord has given you such wonderful family times over this Christmas season...may God bless you in 2010.

    Oh...verses...there are really so many! I LOVE Psalm 91...it is my husband's and my "life Psalm" chosen when we were jsut getting married....long ago. :) Hebrews 12:1-3 and Romans 8 (especially verses 28-39) are precious verses to my heart as well. I think Philippians is a wonderful book...what a blessing that you have committed it to memory...James is a book I would like to memorize. Oh dear...how to narrow it down to just one verse??

    Have a blessed New Year!
    In Him,
    Camille

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  4. The word that I have felt pressed upon my heart lately is QUIET. The verse...Zephanaih 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, he is mights to save, He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

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