My One Word

Hey everyone!  Have you made your New Years resolutions/goals for the year yet? 

If not, or even if you have – listen up!  Here is a great idea!

 I’ve decided to join the Resolution Revolution that I read about earlier this week on a blogsite  called The Deeper Story, and rather than choosing a whole list of resolutions for the year (or goals in my case) choose just one word that I feel is the essence of who I am to be this year and what I am being called to do.  I can hardly even tell you how much I LOVE this idea and how freeing I am finding it!   Some people do the 365 project, where they take a picture every day of the year – that is too big of a commitment for me – but this one is OneWord365project – it’s just one word that you focus on for the whole year – I can do this!

I have gone through so many words.  There were at least five that I almost settled on.  I had even started writing about one of them.  But, it just didn’t totally sit right with me.  It didn’t call me toward something that I was all that excited about!  And I started thinking – that’s probably not a good sign – it’s gonna be a long year!  So, I kept praying about it, and thinking about who I am in all the different circles I belong to… and what God has been doing in my life…and the direction I feel I’m being called toward this year...and this is the one word that I came to.

Drum Roll please…….

Dance 

This hits me on so many levels, which I hope to elaborate on more in future posts.  I love to dance!  Honestly, though, very few people know that about me.  I almost always feel too self-conscious to really totally enjoy myself. So, I rarely do. In order to truly let loose, it usually takes quite a bit of liquid courage.  And, I feel like there’s a part of myself that is longing to be free, but is never comfortable enough to completely let go.  This year I feel the call to emerge.  It’s not a call to just be – but to move.  To join the Divine music– and begin to live out who I authentically am.

On any given day I anticipate this word will feel differently.   Even just the difference between yesterday and today is surprising.  I settled on “dance” only last night, and it felt exhilarating – it felt right and perfect.  I spent a whole year last year learning to yield to God.  Listen to His voice.  Last year’s word was most definitely “Yield”.  And, it’s not that I’m not supposed to yield any longer – in fact it’s quite the opposite.  This year, some of my plans and dreams are coming to fruition or are just about to.  And, listening to His voice is becoming less about something I’m doing with my head and more about being led by my heart – yielding isn’t about waiting any longer; it’s not just learning to hear.  But, learning to follow.  It’s about allowing Him to lead me out onto the dance floor and begin to truly dance, as I follow His steps and listen to the beat of His music.  It gives me chills!  I'm still yielding, but this time we're moving.

This word, dance, is my word for the year because this is what I’m being called to  -- not where I’m coming from though.  Where I’m going, but not where I’ve been.   It’s actually more of a challenge than at first it might appear.  One I’m looking forward to, but a challenge nonetheless.   I woke up this morning feeling weighed down.  So many things in life that don’t really feel like dancing.   I started feeling afraid – what if it’s another hard year – like the last two have been?   Sometimes it feels hard enough just to put one foot in front of the other, much less dance.  Heck, sometimes it doesn’t even feel like walking – it’s more like climbing up one vertical rung at a time trying to emerge from the dark tunnel I’ve just been crawling through.  And I’m supposed to dance?  Are you kidding?

What I’ve come to realize today as I’ve faced some of these fears is this:  this call to dance, is less about the kind of music that will be playing in my life – you can dance to all kinds of music –  it’s more about a call to be fully present and engaged in each moment.  It’s about being beckoned out of my position as a wall flower to come dance with the Master of Ceremonies.  Emerge out of my comfort zone.  Come out of hiding.  Even if I’m a little afraid.  Especially when I am afraid. Willing to be seen by others but not to be looking to them.  To look into God’s eyes, as He leads me around the dance floor.  To truly be swept up in living! 

I initially didn’t have a particular verse that went with dancing. I had different verses for other words, but Dance is more a message that just resonated with my heart and what I know and experience God doing in my life right now.  It’s a message that makes sense based on who I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going.  But, I just looked up the word “dance”, and here is a verse that particularly jumped out at me.

Jeremiah 31:4

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ I will build you up again,
    and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.
Again you will take up your timbrels
    and go out to dance with the joyful.

The past few years have been a time of rebuilding in my life.  And, now this is the year and the time for me to dance! 

If you have been inspired, and would like to join the resolution revolution, let me know.  I’d love to hear your One Word for the year too!