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Showing posts with label new beginning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new beginning. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31

My One Word

I don't need to tell you how hard it is to keep up with New Year Resolutions. Why do you think they start pumping out the Weight Watchers, Curves and Nutrisystem ads like they're going out of style from about Christmas until February? They want to suck you in while you're most susceptible to change which just so happens between December 31st and January 1st. Yeah sure it's wonderful to sign up for a weight loss program, promise to spend more time with family, finally pay off those loans and what not, but how many of us fall off the bandwagon somewhere between March and April (if you've held on that long). 

What if this year was different? What if a year from now, you look back and think, "WOW, I really have achieved my goals & I'm better for it?". 

For the past two years I have forgone the typical "New Year Resolutions" in lieu of something I find to be much more practical, applicable and rewarding:
My One Word.
I pick one word that I am going to focus my energy, quiet time and effort on for the whole of that year. That one single word replaces all those broken promises to yourself. Your word allows you to have focus, clarity and direction in the new year.

You don't have to spend every waking minute focusing on that word and how it applies to your life. You reflect. You pray. You have quiet time. You meditate on how you want it to impact your life. It really is a launching pad for a life transformation.

For the past two years God has worked through me and transformed me for the better. Two simple words that I chose in January transformed my life each year; sometimes not in obvious ways- but as I sat there on December 31st each year, I reflected on the past year and was amazed at how quietly and strategically the Lord changed my heart, my mind and my attitude. Subsequently, other things that used to be on my list of "resolutions" actually got mastered for once. 

So who do you want to be in 2014?
 Do you want to have more faith? Do you want to be more focused? Do you need to have hope? Do you need change? Do you need to simplify your life? Do you need to show love? Maybe you need to surrender to God's will. Maybe you simply need to listen more.
 Decide who you want to be in 2014 and chose a word that will follow you this whole year; you'll be amazed a year from now how much God will transform you when you just pick one simple little word.




Check out http://myoneword.org/ for how MyOneWord began.


















Monday, October 7

A New Season

"God prunes us when He is about to take us into a new season of growth & expansion" 

It's important to have dreams and aspirations, and I realize that more than ever today. I did everything 'right' in school, joined the clubs, worked the jobs, participated in the internships, graduated with honors in both degrees, and landed a fantastic job right out of college; every college students dream. Yet, I can't help but feel there's more out there than just a great paying job. 

What happened to spontaneity and adventure? What happened to adventures and stupid decisions? Ah. Adulthood. My life has become a routine of wake up, get to work before the sun rises, leave work, workout and get home after sunset. Shower, eat, repeat.

Don't misunderstand my words as complaints, I love my job and am ever so grateful that I landed a job like this out of college. However, as one of my professors in college pointed out, life is a lot more than having an amazing paycheck; it's about being happy. He made me wonder, am I happy? Or more importantly, when was I last happy?

Quietly and consistently I have felt the Lord leading me in a new direction. Sometimes it's scary to take a leap of faith and trust the small voice inside your heart; but when you finally do take that leap, there is an amazing sense of peace that overcomes you and when you look back that big 'scary' jump looks more like a hop. 

God is slowly transforming me for a new season in life, which is extremely scary and exciting at the same time. My future is a complete question mark but I know that my future is in good hands. There is more to life than our job title and the amount of money we make. We need to realize what makes us happy and strive to make that a priority in life and our job.

So here is to a new change in my life, a new path that God is slowly shaping me for, a new sense of freedom and excitement and a completely new season.

"God prunes us when He is about to take us into a new season of growth & expansion" 




Tuesday, January 8

The Last First Day

Tomorrow marks a new milestone in my life; the last first day of school I will ever have in my college career. People always tell you how fast four years will go by, but you don't really realize it until you're sitting at your last day. Tomorrow will begin the final push towards that lucrative degree that sits at the end of this race, only separated by twelve-hours of classes a week and 4-months of working three jobs: BRING IT ON. 

Tonight I marvel at all the things that have changed from three and a half years ago when my parents dropped me off at University. Painstakingly they dropped me off at Appalachian State, a top of a cold and dreary mountain; tonight I sit just a lovely 5-minute drive to the Atlantic Ocean wrapped up in the sweet smell of saltwater and earth. I've changed over the years, I've grown up, matured, made friends, learned life lessons, had my share of tearful nights, watched as friends drift apart and make incredible new friends. Who I was then, is not who I am now and that is absolutely the way it should be.