One Word 365

a gritty siesta

It just needs to be said: My year is off to an unbelievably better start than last year was. And the next two weeks are gonna push it over the edge. In the best way possible.

I'm eeeeeeeeeee-ing inside (and out) with excitement over what this January holds. This much I know is true: It's gonna be good!

I also know it's gonna be hard.

I'm taking some big risks. From the outside looking in, it may not appear that way. But believe me, I am. My heart already feels it.

The Grit's gonna take a bit of a siesta while I'm enjoying every risk-filled moment. Aside from a couple pre-scheduled posts, you'll only hear the sounds of crickets here at the Grit for the next couple of weeks.

But I promise to tell you all about it when the siesta's over.

And I'll have some pictures you won't want to miss.

risky business

I'm not the most daring person. I tend to lean toward comfortable and familiar rather than new and exciting. I usually order the same favorite meal anywhere I eat. I even describe myself as an "indoor girl".

I have done some things in my life that were adventurous. I whitewater-rafted the Zambezi. I zip-lined through an Alaskan rain forest. I pulled the cord on a bungee swing in Cape Town. I ate grub worms. (Okay, maybe that's not exactly adventurous. But it is pretty wild!)

And my bucket list includes a few more daring things I'd like to someday accomplish. But in general, I don't think many would describe me as a thrill-seeker.

So choosing to focus on risk this year feels, well, risky. Which, I suppose, was the whole point.

My choice to risk is all about active trust. I'm being intentional to trust God, others, and myself more.

I've already told you that I doubt myself more than I ever have before. But I have the Holy Spirit who guides me into all truth living inside me. I want to live like I actually believe that's true. I will get it wrong sometimes, this I know for sure. But I choose to trust the power of Christ in me and the discernment God's given me. And that can't happen without risk.

I know that trustworthy people will still, at times, betray my trust. Even the best of friends will hurt me. But I still want to risk more in trusting them. I desire to know others intimately and be known by them in that same way. And that can't happen without risk.

Trusting God more means exercising my mustard-seed-sized dollop of faith more than I have been. I want to actively rely on Him for strength and wisdom. I want to see Him work through me in greater ways than He has before. I want to trust Him to answer the silent prayers of my heart for the changes I desire in my own life. And none of that can happen without risk.

So I've decided to risk this year.

It's definitely gonna kick me in the pants in my relationships. And it's going to carry a lot of weight whenever I'm faced with a decision. And I've started praying for it, which is a risk in itself.

Trust is the Achilles' heel of my life, my very own thorn in the flesh. But I'm stepping into the ring by making the decision to risk more.

It's gonna make this year a whole different kind of hard.

But, once again, I choose the hard.

'Cause I'm risky like that.

Why did you choose your word for 2010? What are you doing to focus on it?

one word

I've never been a resolutions girl. But this year, I'm starting a new tradition that's a bit resolution-esque. Well, in a non-specific-goal-so-I-don't-disappoint-myself kind of way. I'm choosing one word for 2010.

Just one word that I can focus on in my everydayness of this year. A word that can be a reminder, a nudge. A word that can help steer my decisions. A word that I can reflect on, that will challenge me, that will inspire me.

How about you?

What's one single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2010?

It can be something tangible or intangible. It can be a thought or a feeling or an action. It can be a character trait or a goal or a location. All that matters is that it has personal meaning for you.

This isn't your mother's word. Or your spouse's word. Or your friend's word. This is your word. It needs to resonate with your heart, no one else's.

Maybe a word popped right into your head. Maybe you need to let the idea percolate a bit longer. Either way, will you consider one-wording it with me this year?

One little word can have significant meaning in our lives if we let it.

And I want to let it.

So...

What single word captures what you want to focus on in 2010?

Oh. And in case you're wondering...

My word?

Risk.

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