Monday, July 25, 2011

My OneWord.

Some of you may or may not be familiar with the OneWord New Year's Theme. You can click on the link for more info from someone who originally started this but I'll fill you in right here.

Basically, it means throwing out the list of resolutions that you do every year after Christmas of all the changes and goals you have to start working on as soon as the fireworks fly and the countdown ends with the silver ball dropping to the bottom. Only to forget all about that list by the time February rolls around.

So instead of making that list, you choose one word as a theme for your year. Something that will motivate you to make the changes necessary in your life. A word that will remind you of where you're headed in order to become better and more Christ-like. Obviously, it's going to be a word with a lot of meaning so that it will help guide the decisions you make.

And you're probably wondering why I'm bringing this up now since New Year's for 2011 is LONG past and 2012 is still five months away. Welllll..... It's because, last year, I saw a couple friends coming up with their word and since I was still healing from all my surgeries (ok, just two but one was really major so it counts for like, five surgeries.) and I was still stuck in bed and had a hard time getting out (mostly because it takes a whole lot longer to heal emotionally than physically, more on that later) I thought this would be a good idea since I never finish my resolution list and I can't really do a whole lot anyway. A one word theme sounded great.

Except I hit a big problem with that. I couldn't decide on a word. At all. I thought about heal because I was healing up on all fronts at that time, but it didn't really do anything for me. I thought about love since I had been shown love in so many different ways and I wanted to return some of that by loving back, but I was already doing that so I didn't need a word to remind me. I thought of content, joy, maybe strong, or even recover but nothing stood out to me or screamed at me "THIS IS THE WORD!"

I prayed, I read other blogs from people writing about their words trying to get an idea, I prayed more, I searched the Bible once for a word to stand out (even randomly pointing at different words, which got me some interesting candidates sometimes) and I just got nothing. So I gave up. I'm not going to have any word, or theme, or resolution this year at all, I decided.

But I guess I never really did forget all about it since I still saw other friends writing about their word and how it was affecting their decisions or how they saw it pop up several times that day or how God was working that word into their life and helping them to grasp a deeper meaning of it. And on Saturday I got my word. And it surprised me. And then I saw it pop up in two other places and heard someone say it in a movie. And then I got excited.

Do y'all want to know? Of course you do, since you're interested enough in my life to read my crazy little blog. :-)

It is:  ORIGINAL


-adjective
1. Belonging or pertaining to the origin of beginning of something, or to a thing at its beginning.
2. New; fresh; inventive; novel:
3. Arising or proceeding independently of anything else:
4. Capable of or given to thinking or acting in an independent, creative, or individual manner:
5. Created, undertaken, or presented for the first time:
6. Being something from which a copy, a translation, or the like is made:
source of definition




Do you want to know how I came across this lovely new word that explodes in my head when I think of all the implications to my life that it holds? It was thanks to my previous post on being normal that I almost didn't publish because I couldn't really get all my thoughts together on the topic and I just needed something to update my blog with because I didn't want y'all to think I quit writing here. And even though I wasn't expecting any comments (even though I LOVE them, yes that's a shameless hint plus a thank you to those who do comment.) I did get one comment and she mentioned my word.

And as I looked at it, it smacked me in face and screamed "THIS IS YOUR WORD!" Of course, I was surprised because I gave up on finding a word because I couldn't settle on one and, naturally, I tried to ignore this even though I had prayed hard for it in January. (See what happens when you comment!?)

I thought about saving it to share when 2012 actually happened but, then I thought, I'm going to be original and I'm going to share my word in August, because that's when I found it (or actually tripped over it because it was set down right in front of me.) And this is my first decision based on being original, but I can guarantee there will be more. And I plan on keeping this word until I come across another one, just in case you were wondering since I'm not choosing one in January like everybody else.

Do you have a word for 2011? (feel free to share mine!) Are you one of those talented people who can actually complete at least one item on their resolutions list? Did any of those definitions speak to you in any way like they do to me? (I'm a copy of God and I'm the first me ever created. WOW!) Do you think the one word theme is dumb? (be honest, I like honest.)

P.S. A thank you to my friend Shieldmaiden, who was the author of comment in which I came across my word and who I am gonna get to see next month in a pretty white dress marrying her man. (insert girly squeal here) :-)

And remember... there could never be a more beautiful you. 

3 comments:

  1. I find that interesting - this one word thing. I hadnt heard of it. Of course now, you've got word themes spinning through my head, but I've never been very creative with things like that. And nope, I cant settle on one either, at least right at the moment. I like "heal" alot, but also "faith, submit, hope, trust, rest and Jesus". :)

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  2. What a perfect picture to go with your post! And, you are absolutely correct, there could never be a more beautiful you!

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  3. I saw a whole bunch of people doing the one word thing too and I liked the idea but I never worked real hard on coming up with a word. I find that often God gives my years themes but I don't think there's ever been a notice at the beginning of the year, "This is your theme!" It just kinda grows on my during the year.

    Now you've got me wondering if this year's had a theme. I feel like it's had a very strong one but it just hasn't smacked me upside the face yet. =)

    So honored that God used me to speak to you AND that you'll be at my wedding. =D

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