Right around the new year, I was listening to the local Christian radio station on my way to work. Normally there are a lot of things that bother me about what the radio hosts talk about on Christian radio stations and I typically turn it off in-between songs. But this particular day, something that a caller was saying made me keep it on. She was sharing how the previous year, instead of a New Year's resolution, she had decided to choose a word that she would learn to live out through the year. Her word was "listen". She talked about what that had meant for her in various forms, like listening to others and listening to the world around her, but most importantly, learning to listen to God. She said that this past November her yearly mammogram was coming up and she decided to just skip it because she had been so faithful the years prior to get it done and it had always been fine. As soon as she decided to not have it done for 2010, she kept having this feeling that that was the wrong decision and every time she thought about it, her word "listen" kept running through her mind. She said she felt the Lord was really speaking to her to get it done. As you can guess, she finally gave in and the result was positive... they found cancer in its early stages. She went on to talk about how that one word had driven her so much closer to God over the past year and that she felt it had prepared her for the news she received at the end of 2010... her heart was filled with so much peace.
I've never been one to make a New Year's resolution, but this story really made me think about what word I would choose. Prayer has always been a huge struggle for me, so that's the word I finally decided on. The cool thing is that I had already signed up for a Seminary Wives class called "Lessons in Prayer" (which starts tonight!!), and for Christmas my in-laws gave me a devotional book on prayer. I've been going through that book since I chose the word "prayer" and the Lord has already spoken to me a ton. I know I have so much more to learn about this amazing gift that we have been given (being able to have that line of communication with God) and I'm so excited to see what happens!
"So flee youthful passions
and pursue righteousness,
faith, love and peace,
along with those who call
on the Lord
from a pure heart."
2 Timothy 2:22 [ESV]
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Little Mr. Caleb took his first steps on 1.31.11!!! Here's the video (I'm so proud of him!):
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