2012 Word of the Year
Today Layla, over at The Lettered Cottage, is hosting a Word of the Year Link Party. I’ve never chosen a word of the year, but I’ve read that it’s the new way of making a New Year’s Resolution. Perhaps keeping to one word will be easier for me. Here’s the word I’ve chosen:
It may seem a strange word to some of you. Why didn’t I just choose love, passion, or something like that? Well, let me explain, for there are several ways in which I want to improve the condition of my heart this year.
1. Examine my heart. Recently, I’ve found that there are many areas of my heart that are left ‘untouched’ each day; mostly areas that have to do with sin. It’s so easy to shove the wrong intentions, selfishness, anger, and impatience under the rug and just brush it off. At least this is what I have discovered I’ve been doing lately. So, I’m going to purpose this year to daily, even moment-by-moment, examine my heart. I long for my heart to reflect the heart of Christ, and the first step for me in doing this is to keep my heart in check, examining it for all elements that don’t reflect Christ.
Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
2. Pour out my heart. No, I’m not talking about gabbing on the phone with girlfriends about all my troubles or updating my facebook status with daily woes. Pouring out my heart is a practice I want to keep as I communicate with the Lord. After examining my heart, I long to pour out confessions to the Lord, seeking His forgiveness, asking Him to purify me to make me more like Him. In the Psalms, King David sets such an awesome example of this practice of ‘pouring’ before the Lord. He constantly brought his failures, his requests, his praises, and his questions before the Lord. I long for that intimacy that David had with his Savior, and I know this can only happen as I pour my heart out before the Lord.
I was reading back through my journal over the past few months and noticed that my prayers are often guarded. Rarely do I truly share the true feelings of my heart, even with the Lord. But, that is what He wants from me! He already knows every thought that I have, but He does long for me to come to Him and pour it before Him.
Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”
3. Purify my heart. This isn’t something that can be done on my own, but thankfully through the power of the Holy Spirit, I can be cleansed! I long to have a pure heart before the Lord, one that is constantly driven by truth, controlled by the Spirit, and reflecting the character of Christ.
Psalm 24:3-4 says, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…”
In summary, the following verses are really my prayer for this year:
Psalm 73: 25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my HEART may fail, but God is the strength of my HEART and my portion forever.”
Daily my heart needs strengthening, and the only place that this can truly happen is if God is doing it. Oh, that I might have a daily renewing of heart-strength in my Savior!
How about you? Have you chosen a word for 2012? If so, link it up to the link below, or at least go over and read some of the other great words that were chosen.
7 Comments
sherri lynn
Lauren this is great! I’ve never heard of picking a word for the year (apparently I’m out of it) but it is such a good idea so that your goal for the year are focused! Each of the things on your list is a challenge to me- and you shared such good verses with each of them!
Bama Girl
Thank you for sharing your ‘heart’ with us today! I am so blessed by what you said and I’m so glad to hear that you feel this way! I think my word for the year is determined because I’m determined that I want to obey what the Holy Spirit tells me, especially in the little things. I am determined to follow Jesus in my everyday life. I am determined to follow Jesus… remember that song? Blessings from Bama!
Lindsey
Thanks for the encouragement and ‘realness’ of this blog!
Anonymous
What a blessing this post is to me. You have articulated many of my own thoughts, but with focus and purpose that challenges me, and helps me to focus. Thank you!
Mary
Lauren
GREAT post! What an encouragement and challenge to me.
Natalie
What a great way to start out your year! I think your word is a good one to pick and one we often overlook.
Susan
What a great idea! Gives me something to think about, but it’s hard to top your word and your explanation of why you chose it! I’ll tell you my word for the day, though…..disciple. I have a couple of books beside me that I plan to begin reading to help set some goals on disciple-making. But first, I need to follow through with a couple of things I promised I’d do today….