A Fresh Start

A new year equals a fresh start.  New ideas.  New possibilities.  New intentions.  But I haven't made any new year resolutions.   I think I don't like them.  I used to.  But I almost always fail at them.

Today as I pondered what the new year might bring, though, there were several things that I spent lots of time thinking on.

Abiding.  Writing.  Balance.  Contentment.  Peace.  Purpose.

These are some of the things I will be writing about in the coming days, along with a lot of other stuff...I hope. I stumbled upon a challenge today in my Facebook news feed. It intrigued me. And it got me excited about writing again.  It's been way too long.  I've missed the blog.  I've missed having this outlet.  I don't remember why I started it years ago, but I've come to find that I want to do it again just for the pure enjoyment of writing.

So here is the challenge.  500 words.  Every day for the month of January.  No editing.  That's the part that might do me in because I've never been able to write down my thoughts without reading it over and over and changing words here and there...a lot of changes.  I over think every word.   But I'm going to work hard to stay true to the challenge.  And just write.

I love words.  I chose a word today.  

Abide.

It will be my word of focus for 2014.

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4

That's an old familiar verse. When I was reading it again today, though, I went back to read the entire chapter. What struck a chord in me was found in Verse 2.

"...every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

If my heart's desire is really to abide in Him...and it is...I guess I should expect some pruning this year.

Let it be so, Lord.

For in my pruning, he has promised I will bear more fruit.   And I want nothing more than to see my God glorified in and through my life.  Not just in 2014.  But every day of every year.  If I'm honest, I don't feel like that has been happening much since we returned from Africa two and a half years ago. I've spent a lot of time thinking about why that is. And I'm sure I'll venture into that territory at some point in my writing but not today.

Today, I just tried to take all of those roaming thoughts in my head and narrow them down to one thing...one word.  At the end of this year, what do I want to look back on and be able to say I accomplished in 2014?

Every thought came back to Jesus.  Jesus is the root of my peace.  Jesus in the root of my contentment.  Jesus is the root of my purpose.   Jesus is how I will find balance.   Be as close to Jesus as possible, and everything else about life falls into place.  I know this to be truth.  But honestly, I've felt farther from Jesus these last couple of years than I'd really like to admit.  I've pretty consistently been blaming the pace of American life and my lack of adjusting well back to that.  But I know there really are no excuses.  God didn't do anything different.  So the issue sits squarely on my shoulders.

How do I get that closeness back?  What do I need to do this year?   It's simple, really.  So simple...but we tend to make it so hard.

So as I wrap up this unedited first offering in the My 500 Words challenge.  It comes down to this.

Abide.  My focus for 2014.  My One Word.