It's that time of year again. The beginning. A fresh start. A new beginning. A clean slate. My favorite.
Last year, I felt like the word "blessed" was my focus. Not just the feel good, getting what you want definition of blessed, but the truly content and fulfilled idea. I have had many an opportunity to learn exactly what I thought I would: true blessing comes only from the Lord. It doesn't come from money or things or even people. It doesn't come from good intentions or even from gifts. It comes in the person of Jesus and God coming to be with His people. The blessing is in the relationship with Him. That truth carried me this year through the hard things and also the good things. It's a bedrock and a foundation.
As has been the case in some past years, last years word has led me into this year's word. If I could pick one thing to do better it's being better connected to the Lord. Not just reading the Bible more but doing my life WITH him more. REMAINING steady. RESTING in Him. CONTINUING on in the things He has called me to. Abiding.
"As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you , unless you abide in me" John 15:4.
To be honest, I've tried to change the word about 7 times. There were other words that I was leaning towards, and some with really good reason and calling: brave, confident, joy (again), people, rest..... But every time I thought of another word, I felt like the Lord brought me back to abide. To be brave and confident, I have to abide first. To pour out to people, I have to abide with the vine first. Rest IS abiding. Joy (and every other fruit of the spirit) is a litmus test for how we are abiding. If we aren't abiding, we aren't bearing fruit. Every time I prayed about it, it kept coming back to abiding.
This started to settle in my heart about a month ago. And while I had yet to share it with anyone yet, I asked the Lord to make me confident in it before I started hearing other people's words for the year. I didn't want to be swayed. I'm so glad I prayed that because in the past week, I have heard two other people whose word is abide for the year. It made me question my motive behind even having a word of the year. Which was actually a good thin because I don't want to do it because it's popular or because other people do it or don't. When I prayed about it, the Lord reminded me that the call to abide is for everyone and this is something He is doing in my heart, it's between me and Him.
So, abide. That's what I'm focusing on this year. May this year be known as a year that I abided with the vine. Happy New Year, friends!
abide:
1
: to remain stable or fixed in a state
a love that abode with him all his days
You can see the previous year's words here:
Abide is a perfect word, Carrie! Mine is "breathe." Yes, I know that sounds odd, but I'll explain more about that in Friday's post at Meditations of My Heart.
ReplyDeleteBlessings for the New Year!