My One Word Goal for 2013

Most bloggers who choose a theme word for the year write about their choice at the beginning of the year.  But here I am, 52 days into the year, just now getting around to it. It's OK though...I'm not the only one to post about this in February.  :)

Before I get to this year's word, I'll briefly mention, by way of review, that the word I chose for 2012 was ARISE; and for the first three months of the year, I did fairly well with my goal of getting up at 7:00 a.m. each morning to spend time with God (more blog posts about that can be found here).  The reason my arising habit changed drastically after those first three months was simple:  Moriah was born.  :)  But even though I didn't consistently get up at a certain time each morning and spend that first time focused only on God, I still was grateful for the theme of ARISE and felt like it truly helped me to be higher at the end of the year than I was at the beginning.  :)

As 2012 drew to a close, my thoughts began churning about which word I should choose for 2013; and after a long process and much deliberation, I finally settled on one:

BEYOND.

Why beyond?  For me, this is a call to look outside of myself, to reach beyond my own little family, to open the doors of my home, and to share the light and love of Christ with those whom I can touch.  As I've written before, I often feel such a heavy burden and wish that I could do SO MUCH MORE to brighten the lives of those around me and ease the loads they carry.  BEYOND reminds me that, just because I can't do it all, doesn't mean I shouldn't do something, even if it is a very little something.

I can't count how many times during the past few years I've looked around at my home, my family, my life, and thought, "I am so blessed.  But I don't think God gave us all of this just for ourselves.  We have so much--not just material things, but the more important things like peace and love and joy and stability here in our family.  How can I share this with others??"

This year, I'm determined to try; and although I'd like to shoot big and aim for the stars, I'm finding it much more practical and fulfilling to focus on the small and help one "starfish" at a time.  So far it seems like making meals for people in need is about as lofty as I can go!  ;-)  But hey, if some meatloaf or some black bean & corn salad or even some fudge can help advance the kingdom of God, then let me put on my apron and pull out my mixing bowls!  ;-)

Essentially, having the theme of BEYOND simply helps me to open my eyes and shift my perspective--to ask more often, "How can I bless those around me?"  Like for Valentine's Day, for example... I know that Jeff is thoughtful enough to find ways to show love to me on that day in particular, and sometimes that includes flowers.  But this year, as my heart ached for some dear friends who are being affected by Multiple Systems Atrophy, a horrible, vicious disease, I told Jeff, "I appreciate so much the way you make Valentine's Day special for me; but this year, rather than buying me flowers or anything like that, would you please give the money to help our friends and support research and advocacy for MSA?"  And he did.  :)  And I was happy.  :)

As this year continues, I pray that God would show me the opportunities that He wants me to take.  I pray for creativity in meeting needs.  I pray for a willingness to sacrifice my own time and comfort.  I pray for love to blanket all my little efforts.  I pray to go BEYOND.

But here's the thing: I don't plan to write about it very often.  Even though this blog is basically just my journal of daily life in our family and it would be tempting to say "today I made dinner for so-and-so and took it to her..." because that's just part of life, I am making the choice to not do that.  I want to honor the principle of Matthew 6:1-4, and I earnestly desire to walk in humility.  So, unlike last year when I felt like the public accountability about ARISE would be helpful, this year I'll strive to go BEYOND, but not draw attention to it.

Because truly, it's not about me.  It's all about HIM!