Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2014- The Year to Be

I rang in 2014 with much laughter, lots of good food, a little football on the TV, sounds of kids laughing upstairs and the Caleb and Emalee (or Emalee and Caleb) New Year's Eve Spectacular.  A kiss from my favorite guy.  And a tumble in the floor from Caleb, who is bent on showing how strong he is and picking up everyone around him, which led to me knocking him off balance and us both landing in the floor.

Memories that I'll not soon forget.

It's hard to believe it is 2014.  Seems like yesterday it was 2000, my first year of married life.  Or 2003, the first year I entered as a Mom.  Things change, time marches by, and we live to tell our story, again... writing a new story every day.

There's always something hopeful about the new year. Regardless of whether your previous year was great or just flat stunk, it is always good to think of how we can make things better, of how we can improve, of how we can keep seeking...

As I finished up 2013, struggling through school and feeling overwhelmed, a verse really stuck out to me.  Psalm 46:10a, "Be still and know I am God."

I'm not good at being still... ok, I like to sleep.  And I can sit and read.  And I can sit for ten hours straight and write papers...

but to sit still and let God? Nope.  Not that.  I'm a doing person.  Making lists.  Planning.  Acting... and a lot of the times, acting before I'm supposed to, creating a big mess.

As I pondered this verse, and thought about what it meant, and what my direction for 2014 should be, I kept thinking about being "intentional" and being "focused", both things that I want to do. 

Then, the first word stuck out to me.

Be. 

Be- To exist. To take place.  To have identity with. To have an objective existence. From Middle English, from Old English bēon; akin to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, futurus about to be, fieri to become, be done, Greek phynai to be born, be by nature, phyein to produce

Synonyms: Breathe, exist, live, subsist.  Simliar/related words: abide, endure, thrive (from Merriam Webster's online dictionary).

Two little letters sum up what I want.  As I was reading in Genesis this morning, a verse hit me. Genesis 2:7, " Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being."

A living being.  I've often heard it say, God didn't create a human doing. He created a human being.

The word used in Genesis 2:7 is "Hayah" (Which, by the way, is pronounced just like what you would say when you were kicking something in karate.  Isn't that cool?)

It means, "To be, to become, to come to pass, to exist."

He created us to be.  To become. To come to pass. To exist.

And that's what my goal for this year.

2014- A Year to Be.  To be active. To be intentional. To be empathetic. To be disciplined. To be inspired.

My verse? Psalm 46:10- Be still and know I am God.  I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. (May He be exalted in me, through me.)

My song?  Thrive by Casting Crowns: Just to know you and to make you known, we lift your name on high. Shine like the sun, make darkness run and hide. We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives.  It's time for us to more than just survive.  We were made to thrive." (Which just happens to be a similar word to be.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ71RWJhS_M

Lots of goals for the year- Write every day. Learn something new every day.  Read my Bible through.  Chronicle my year in pics.  Read, at least 100 books.  Bible study.  Make exercise a habit. Lose 35 pounds by my 35th birthday.  Count my blessings.

But above all, learn to be... to live... to thrive. 

Have a blessed 2014!  Stay tuned for more on how I'm making the most of it. 

13 comments:

  1. Awesome post, and awesome song! Thanks so much for sharing, Lauren! Much love!

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  2. BE- I love it! I am also an avid list maker. It is so easy to get caught up in a to-do list. I completely understand. Have a wonderful 2014! You can't go wrong with Psalm 46:10 as your verse for the year :).

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  3. Thank you for this reminder Lauren - To be...love it!...and He also calls us to Abide...love that word also - to rest in Him - recharge - energize....then we can be all He has called us to be...Have a beautiful year in Jesus - I too, am a busy list maker, cross off my accomplishments...but this year, like you, I choose to Be...Blessings, sister ~ Dianna

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  4. Love your word and your goals. Great job on your post, enjoyed reading.

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  5. This is wonderful! My word is Believe, after last year being Trust. I called on my Trust word many times. Trust that God had my family in his hands as we went through BIG changes in 2013. Now I will believe he is leading us in our new life in 2014! I like you word Be too! -Mary B! Question, how do you read 100 books? That is a huge number to me! LOL

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  6. I love the way your broke down the word and the connection in Genesis! Bless you! Just remember to also...Be STILL (I see a lot of 'doing' wink wink). Love ya!

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  7. Great job, really enjoyed reading your blog. Love the song you chose as well. Blessings.

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  8. Love this blog Lauren. Blessings.

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  9. Wonderful choice in goals and post. I love the word be, and you just set it all so well. Thank you for sharing today. What a blessing it was to read your perspective.

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  10. Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Very inspiring :)

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  11. Thank you for your wisdom and inspiration Lauren. I think I will strive to be all that God wants me to be. This of course will require discipline in my prayer life, reading and studying God's word diligently, relying and waiting on the Holy Spirit for direction. I say Yes to, "TO BE", living life by the grace of God.

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  12. Love this Lauren! Our Pastor says often that we are to "Know. Be. Do." Just "being" is the essence of knowing God, and doing comes as a result of being. Love it. "Be".

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