Present

At the beginning of 2014, Pastor Craig Groeschel, in the series Small Things Big Difference, challenged the men and women of his church to pick one verse.  One verse to keep a biblical perspective one the year.  One verse to guide through decision making.  This one verse was to be accompanied by one word.  One word to help you stay on track through the year.  One word to keep you focused throughout the year.  One verse and one word.  Seems pretty easy, right?

Picking just one verse and one word was no easy task for me.  I am a list maker.  Every year I make a list of goals for myself, a list typically as long as I am years old.  They are almost always a mix of attainable and audacious goals.  More often than not, I come out of the year discouraged because I only accomplished the attainable goals, and left the audacious ones by the wayside.  Picking one verse and one word to keep me focused throughout the year was no easy task.

I began evaluating all of the things I wanted to accomplish in 2014.  After much deliberation and elimination, I made a list of eleven goals I had for 2014.  Don't give me too much credit yet...  I, also, vowed to set monthly goals that would help me achieve my yearly goals.

What had gotten into me?!  I had gotten so far off the path of one verse and one word.  The goal was far small things to make a big difference, and I was doing it the wrong way.  So, I went back to the drawing board.  Except, I kept my goals for 2014.

The biggest difference I wanted to see made in 2014 was my ability to be present.  I am a girl with 12090985039 things going on in her head at once, and I am consistently thinking of the next 10293808 things that I need to do.  My ability to be present is severely lacking.  This reflects in my friendships, my studies and my work.

So, one verse for 2014...

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  Why, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is our life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 

James 4:13-15

 

And, you guessed it, my one word for 2014 is...

PRESENT.

 

 

 

 

Tune in... Later this week, I will be sharing on how I am doing at being present. 

 

 

Chime in... How are your 2014 resolutions going?  Did you pick one word?  How is that going?