Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thrive!


I wrote this in January, 2013 ~ 

So much of my life in recent years has been very good. We moved from the city to the mountains about a year and a half ago, making for some very significant lifestyle changes, which is tough, but you grow when you adapt to a new way of living. We’ve been blessed with a beautiful granddaughter, and are awaiting our second grandchild in April of 2013, and that is amazing! In other areas, like my weight, my energy levels, and my career, there has just been frustration and drought. I have waited, wondered, and even doubted if change would occur. This period of inactivity has given me a lot of time to sit back and really think about everything.

I started journaling a few years ago, and I have been learning how vital it is to ‘be still and know He is God’ (Psalm 46:10). He asked me if I trust Him, and I do. It has been a valuable time, and now I believe I am ready to move on. I am tired of living in the desert (figuratively speaking) and am very much ready for restoration, growth, and abundance. I am eager to grow, learn, see desires of my heart fulfilled, see dreams come true, and truly enjoy life. I know that He plants and cultivates desires in each of our hearts and He is more than happy to fulfill those desires. When he gives me dreams and desires, I believe He intends to fulfill them. Which of those dreams, I do not know, but I’m ready to discover what He has in store for me.

What characteristics would I have to possess in order to lose weight,  gain the energy to work or return to school (or both), plus take care of my home and family, as well as participate in various activities like cycling and hiking. I came up with the suggested list of 20 or so words. I won’t share those, but out of that 20, a few really jumped out at me:

- confidence
- new
- healthy
- flourish
- thrive

I absolutely love the words flourish and thrive.

The definitions of these two words are almost identical, and they are synonyms for each other.

Flourish:
- to be in a vigourous state; thrive
- to be successful; prosper
Thrive:
- to grow or develop vigorously; flourish
- to prosper; be fortunate or successful

Both signify growth, health, fullness, progress, strength, newness, abundance, etc. THIS is who I want to become. I want to THRIVE!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

An experiment for 2013

I have done the whole resolution/goal thing for several years, and have not seen change or renewal in the practice of making resolutions. Therefore, I have decided I need to do something completely new and different. I am going to be joining in on the "My One Word" project (http://myoneword.org/), which was started by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen. The book they've written, "My One Word" just came out in December 2012 and I have just started reading that. I will choosing just one word, focusing on that word and seeing how God work through that one word to bring about change and renewal in my life. To allow Him to bring about His good plans for my life in the upcoming year. 

This means ditching the laundry list of "to-do's" and "don't do's". I do still plan on making it to the gym, eating a healthy diet, looking for a job, etc., but my focus will not be on those things directly. The aim of the "My One Word" project is to "help you get in a specific position and remain there long enough - dependent on God - for some internal work to be done by Him". The change I want and need in my life is not change I can bring about myself. Only God can do that. By focusing on a word that represents a characteristic I want to see in my life, or the person I want to start becoming, the change will happen.