My posts have been a bit scarce lately. I’m not sure why exactly, but I do know that in part it is because slipping in a blog that I have prepared ahead of time just didn’t seem the right thing to do. And, writing this one was going to take more thought and prayer than I have either chosen to take or make time for in the last two weeks. You see, something has been noodling around in my brain and heart since about February and it’s not quite done yet. I am assuming that it won’t be “done” for quite some time. I’ve wanted to share it with you for awhile, but the timing wasn’t quite right. Hopefully this won’t be too vague, but rather thought provoking for your own life, and maybe even intriguing.
I must start many years ago when I was attending a weekly Bible study. We always started our Bible study season in September and this particular time it was either late December or early January. Our table of ladies was eclectic as far as “season of life”. There was a dear sister at our table that was, shall we say, further along on the journey of life than the rest of us. We all enjoyed and respected her input and prayers at our table, as many of us were very early in our journey.
One morning during our prayer request time this dear lady seemed concerned for her request. I remember wondering what was wrong. She told us she hadn’t gotten her “word” for the year. Apparently she typically had it by now and she was concerned she might be missing what God was trying to convey to her. She asked us to pray that she would discover what the correct word would be for this new year. I couldn’t quite grasp what she was talking about because she spoke as if we all had been looking for this elusive “word of the year” and had already discovered ours, and she was behind, possibly the last to received this precious new years gift.
At that time in my life I was just learning how to temper my tongue and not just blurt out the thoughts and questions that plagued my mind and demanded immediate answers. Therefore, since I was specifically requested to pray for this lady and indeed wanted to help her in this area, I pressed for clarification. So I asked, “Word of the year? What are you talking about?”
She looked as perplexed with my question, as I am sure I was with her request. Then the lights came on as she glanced around the table and realized that I wasn’t the only one confused by her request! She went on to explain that each year she perceived a “word” that she would focus on through prayer and reading of her Bible, that would lead to a refining of her character or spiritual transformation; a project of discovery for her and Jesus together.
This practice was baffling to me. Why hadn’t I heard this before? Does everyone do this? Did God have a word for me that I have been missing? It was a very curious concept for me, but also one that opened the door to a new means of my own spiritual transformation. I don’t remember if I got a word that first year, but I am fairly certain that over the next year or so I did, and I have gotten my own word from God each year since.
I can’t list each word, but I must confess that I can be a VERY slow learner and have had multiple years on the same word. Guess I can be pretty thick headed! I also attribute this multi-year emphasis on the same word as a product of God’s unending grace, mercy and gentleness where I am (and you are) concerned. I often tell God, “let’s just get this over with and rip out the root of this thing”, however, I believe that in His wisdom and love for me He knows that slow digging is better than diving in with a backhoe and ripping out the root. Thank goodness His wisdom prevails over my impulsive nature.
All of this to say, this year I had forgotten about my “word” until about mid-January. At that time I began to pray and ask God if I had a word for the year. I started to pay more attention and wait for its appearance into my mind. You see, with me there is no writing on the wall by a big finger as with a king in the Old Testament. It’s more like a word that kind of sticks out, like bold print when I hear it.
One afternoon I was having lunch with a friend when she began to talk of her word for the year. She was very excited that she had gotten it, like we were talking about a prized present. It must seem weird to some but it really is like a present. It becomes a focus for the year, and, when you don’t get it, it’s like something is missing. So she tells me what her word is for the year (intentionality, or being intentional) and what her thoughts of it have been since the moment she realized it. I pondered her “word”, rolling it around in my head. It was a good word. Was this my word as well? Could we actually have the same word for the year? That would be cool to do the same word together. I’ve never done that. Yes, sorry friends, my thoughts go off on many tangents like this while you’re talking to me, all within a matter of seconds! Well I stopped my mind wandering and began completely focusing on the conversation again, never quite forgetting the great word.
I am not sure how much time had elapsed after that lunch before I really felt God impress on me that, although her word was a good word and may come up another year, the word for me this year is “devotion”. Let me give you the definition of devotion according to dictionary.com.
Devotion: 1.Profound dedication; consecration. 2. Earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.
Quite the word! Could I say that my devotion to Jesus matches this definition? What would it look like to have it match this definition? Well the answer to the first question is “no”, and to the second, “I don’t know but we’ll see.”
I am assuming that there will be more posts on the word “devotion” in the year to come. It seems that this particular word could potentially be a lifetime word as opposed to just one year.
My question for you is…have you ever wondered if Jesus had a word for you, something to really focus on that would deepen your relationship and knowledge of Him? I know it’s April but it’s never too late. This particular way of discovering Him and His love for me has been amazing, and I am glad my friend inadvertently started many of us on this journey of discovery. Thank you big sis!
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