it’s time for a check-up
Isn’t it crazy to think that 2010 is more than half over? Seven months gone; only five months left. Time to take stock. Focus. Realign as needed.
I wonder how many of you have been working toward your one-word goal.
Actually, I wonder how many of you even remember your one-word goal.
(Go back to the comments here and here if you need a reminder…)
Mine is risk.
In all honesty and fairness, while I’ve tried to stay focused on risking more this year, there are entire days weeks that go by when I don’t even think about it.
I don’t usually wake up wanting to risk that day. This isn’t one of those things that gets easier the more you do it. Every single time is hard.
But still… I continue to challenge myself to risk.
When faced with a decision or a situation, I can’t help but think… RISK! It has caused me to do things like have hard conversations, spend time with challenging people, do things I wouldn’t ordinarily do, hit publish on especially-vulnerable blog posts.
I should be keeping a “risk list” somewhere… because sitting here now, I’m having a hard time thinking of all the specific ways I’ve risked. Even though I know have. I blame it on my Fuzzy Brain Syndrome. So, starting right now… I’m keeping a “risk list.” Somebody ask me in a couple weeks to make sure I’m still doing it, k?
What about you?
Are you still focusing on your… focus? Are you regularly doing what you set out to do with your one-word goal?
Maybe you weren’t around The Grit in January and didn’t pick a word for your year. It’s not too late to start. Choose a single word to focus on for the remaining five months of 2010.
Let’s finish this year with intentionality.
My word is discipline.
Unfortunately, it’s been my word for the last oh… 3 years.
with your “slimming” right now, i’d say you’re definitely achieving the goal of discipline!
my word is do.
and i think i’ve been sticking to it more than my other list… that i seem to have lost somewhere.
when i am tempted to say no to an opportunity i have to stop and think, “why am i saying no? could i be doing more?”
so, no, i haven’t forgotten… but do i actually DO more?
Not sure… I’m trying.
Mine’s discipline : I have a note on my Mac to remind me every day.
How am I doing with it? I dunno. I can think of a lot of other words that sum up the year (risk being one of them), but I’m not sure if discipline would be one that I’d choose.
As for you…I think you go for days/weeks without thinking about risk because it’s become your new normal.
Meanwhile, I’ve made a note in my calendar to check in on the risk list. I should keep a discipline list too huh. That would be the disciplined thing to do :)
you make me smile, sir.
My one word was actually two:
DREAM BIG.
For myself and for others.
I think I’m doing pretty good, (especially with my smallgroup – as I am challenging the ladies in my group to continue to dream)…
So my focus is pretty good. Only hoping that the latter part of this year will show more answers than just “dreams” :)
Dreaming for u as well my friend.
Don’t remember if I’ve written it here…. but my word since Dec was Resurrection. All I can say is everything was dying around me, and in many ways my marriage is already dead. I’ve seen sparks of life come back into certain things so far, but I still stick to my word – which isn’t MY word, but God’s word to me.
Because of what’s going on in my marriage, reading how you have been affected by the same stuff has been painful for me – but I continue to share your story, hoping that your pain will help me in my quest not to continue to make the same mistakes that were made to affect you, while clinging desparately to God’s Resurrecting power.
So I didn’t really remember the one-word challenge, but I’m living it. EVERY. DAY.
i was reading in the psalms this morning and thought of you and your word. psalm 71 specifically verse 20 talking about how God will revive. praying for you today.
Thank you for your prayer … will seek out the Scripture….
My word is More. Then Arise. It’s two words, but they go together (well, for me, they do).
I was just thinking about my word(s) yesterday. I feel expectant about what these next few months of 2010 will be like. To me, it’s like something that’s unfolding as opposed to something I’m having to be intentional about. Where the focus comes in for me is to be AWARE of what’s happening. Alert.
I often am reminded of your word, risk, as I come to the Grit each day. You’d probably be shocked at how much we could repeat back to you about the risks we’ve seen you take this year because of all you’ve shared so eloquently and honestly with us. My heart dances for you! Really.
ooooh – i like how you said that, lisa. that it’s unfolding in your life rather than being an intentional focus.
Oh, I remember my word…it was joy. I think I had a misconception about what true joy is…what it means to rejoice in all things…Joy and happiness are not synonymous to me. I am learning the difference between the two.
On a side note, I think anyone (especially a very young girl) who picks up, flies off to Africa, starts a ministry – by herself – is someone who is willing to take risks. Love watching you continue to choose hard.
thank you for being such an encouragement to me, chrystie.
I think that might be a bit before my time.
But I would have to go with “write”.
‘cos it’s who is and whats i got ta do.
My one word was and is TRUST. Thank you for reminding me! Life has gotten so crazy here, and I did lose sight of it. Though I had it as my focus most of this year. I think I have done a lot to get to a place of trust.
Trusting God. I have trusted God this year to lead and guide my husband for our lives. I have trusted God that the Air Force would move us to a place He wanted us, and here we are in Ohio for a few days now. I trusted God to keep us while my husband was gone for three months. Though that one was the hardest, I nearly lost it. :( I trusted God while I drove with 5 kids to Alabama to visit my husband. I trusted God when I flew for the first time in years and was so incredibly nervous I kept seeing us crash…. yes, I trusted God to hold that plane in the air and He did. :) My whole life is about trusting Him or at least about learning to trust Him.
wow, anna. your word has really been put to the test this year… or rather your heart has. your constant active trust in the Lord is so beautiful to see though.
how is the transition to ohio going?
Well, if you had asked me a week ago, I was really freaked out by the entire area here in Dayton. :) But, I think I am starting to get it now. I can get super intimidated at times, and I was feeling that way. Have you ever been to Dayton? Or to Wright Patterson AFB? It’s just crazy compared to other Air Forces bases I have been to and I have had to adjust my thinking in a huge way. :) Our base in California was like a little town unto itself, this isn’t like that at all, everything is all spread out and isn’t even connected, I have to drive the freeway to get to the commissary and to the hospital. The idea of that was completely frightening to me. More on that whole trust thing I guess. I actually said to God, “Thanks a lot for bringing us here!” ha! I am totally honest I guess. :) Now I am just praying and asking God to please lead us to the right church. Visited one on sunday, it was ok. The worship was OK, not passionate though which is my desire. And the Pastor sounded like the teacher on Ferris Buellers day off, ya know the one, “Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?” Was that Ben Stein? I couldn’t help but laugh.
Any suggestions on finding the perfect church????
oh my word, anna! it sounds VERY different than what you were used to. and trying to find a church that feels like home is such a daunting task. (okay, your description of the pastor was hilarious though!) you may just need to keep visiting different churches in the area to find the one that feels like the best fit.
This little reminder made me smile. Mine was joy. I had forgotten about it ~ but just wrote about a moment where God showed me joy during a difficult time with my son. And there have been countless moments where I have been stripped of relationships since January that have really taught me what it means to find joy how God loves me and cherishes me, right now as I am.
Alece~ you may not think you are making a decision to risk everyday; but everything about you exudes the willingness to live your life in a way that is risky to a lot of the world, and even a lot of Christians. You risk your heart and soul every single day for the kingdom in the way you love others and try to show them Christ in the midst of your own trials and struggles and wrestling with your path.
We love you for that!
Blessings,
LIndsey
I was just thinking about this yesterday or the day before! My words were freedom and joy. I’m taking steps towards freedom almost every day (like it or not sometimes).
“like it or not sometimes” — i know what you mean!
Still standing.
I would like to know where 2010 is going…I can’t believe it’s already over halfway through the year! My word for the year is joy. I tend to be a list maker so I’ve had a list going (I’m on 1695 of the ones written down) except now I’m realizing that sometimes I need to add a little more detail because those 3 little short descriptions don’t always remind me of what it was! I’ve definitely had a few weeks where I lost focus, but kept pressing on and am still letting this word change me from the inside out. Here goes….
p.s. keep on risking :) you are fabulous.
I was just going back over my word for the year last night and thinking about how far I haven’t come! :O)
Mine was “healing” to remind myself that this needs to be the year to finally heal and move past some things. And for most of the year I’ve hidden from them.
Hiding no more!
Thanks for the reminder.
-G
wow, gina. such a brave word to choose. praying for His gentle hand to hold you as you come out of hiding…
Great reminder!
Mine is “Healing.” I have actually been doing really well with it and taking lots of steps and following through on my part! its a slower process than I would like it to be but I have also learned so much about what the healing process entails, how it ties in SO COMPLETELY to my relationship with Jesus, and how when I enter into seasons that won’t be so focused on healing, it doesn’t mean I will ever be in a place where I am not healing from something in this broken world. I guess I am learning that you don’t just heal and then move on and everything’s perfect! Life is a process and heaven is the ultimate time of redemption! can’t wait!! :-)
i totally hear you on healing being a slower process than you’d like. i so wish it was a linear journey, but it’s so cyclical and i often end up back at something i thought i’d “moved on” from. but the Lord faithfully continues to provide some mile markers along the way so i can gauge how far He’s brought me.
That’s totally it!!
Thanks for wording it so well….that really helps me understand more clearly what I have been feeling. It’s totally cyclical.
I like the mile marker example too.
haha…I literally feel just from reading your comment that a puzzle piece in my brain just snapped perfectly into place….in a couple sentences you helped me understand something I didn’t even know I was trying to figure out!
Thanks for the feedback alece :-)
My word is COURAGE… I am humbled to say that God has produced courage in me through an insane six months of pursuing a job teaching ESL in S. Korea for a year.(Which is a dream for spending a year immersed in another culture as preparation for whatever God has next for me among the nations) Each step, from talking with family about the decision that they don’t like or really understand, to weathering a health crisis that could have stopped the whole process, to collecting the necessary paperwork, to putting myself out there for job after job after being rejected for two months. And now all that has paid off. God granted me a job and all the pressing has built up in me the courage that it will take to live for a year in another country.
The deal is that the courage has had less to do with God changing my circumstances, and more about the deeper realization of WHO He is and what His PROMISES are. I’m more courageous because I am more dependent on Jesus.
Thanks for the reminder friend. It makes my afternoon at work not look so long when I realize that I could really spend all afternoon contemplating and giving thanks for how God moved this year…so far. There is so much more to wait expectantly for!
amen, friend. amen.
my word CHOSE me.
courage.
mine was discipline.
still staying disciplined in two of the areas i wanted to work on.
not so much in the other….argh!
you’ve got 5 months left, jess. don’t give up too soon!
I get a bit sad halfway through the year b/c of how fast the first half always seems to go….. time seriously moves faster each year you’re alive. For me, that feels like a sad thing. I want life to slow down!
I didn’t have a word and I’m gonna be a party pooper and not pick a word. ha! Actually, that might not be entirely true….for the last few months I’ve been thinking “LESS” for stuff in my life and trying to live accordingly, it just wasn’t something I picked to focus on on purpose.
I feel overwhelmed by all of our STUFF, by all that we DO, by all the places we GO, and all the money we SPEND…. so overwhelmed in fact that after we came back from our trip I decided to act on it and get rid of STUFF…. and that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I’ve gotten rid of a lot of STUFF and I feel less stressed b/c of it. None of that was ever a “new years resolution” though…. it just sort of happened b/c of being overwhelmed.
I loooooong for simplicity, and less seems to be the ticket there! ;o)
“less” is a great word, BM! simplify….
love this Alece! I have thought about my word a lot more than I thought I would. My word: decision. I still am struggling with it. I need to make some big decisions in my life. I really think they are hindering my life and walk with the Lord. I need to be a man of my word, and not be passive. I kind of have a mantra that I’ve been learning about the last couple years with my mens group. To be a man: I need to reject passivity, accept resposibility, lead courageously, and expect the greater reward, which is God’s reward. To me, that is a definition of manhood. That is what I want my life to be defined by. I want to live that out by loving God and loving people. I want to be actively living it out. I don’t want people to have to question who I am or what I stand for.
Thanks so much for the reminder! It will be good for me to think about this while I’m on vacation this week. Cheers for the second half of 2010!
here’s to the decisions you are still going to make this year!!!
THank you for this great reminder Alece!! I posted back in January (with your prompting). My words were joyful and knowledge. WOW! I acctually for got what i even wrote, i had to go back and check my blog! Thanks for the great reminder! I want to be joyful in all circumstances and i wanted to grow in my knowledge of the Bible and who Jesus is!
love your goals, kathy — such a great window into your beautiful heart!
My word was “Quit.”
And I Quit trying to figure out When the Mountain Goats Give Birth.
Especially after the flood.
And the rainbow.
I love your word!! A friend and I were just discussing RISK the other day. Jesus was the riskiest of them all. We were specifically discussing RISK in relationships. We can never risk more of ourselves than Jesus did. He died for the sins of the whole world knowing that his gift would be rejected by so many that he loves. My problem is control. Or actually learning that I’m not in control, at all. I’ve used RISK before as a tool thinking that if I put my neck on the line for someone, then they will be obligated to not reject me. He is molding me though. I’m learning to be risky in my relationships without taking offense to rejection. My prayers to learn to love like He loves are being answered!!
I think my word is STEADY. I want to learn to keep a steady pace for my life. Not getting ahead of God in certain areas where I tend to move too fast and to speed up in the areas I tend to want to lag behind. Yep, I like that word. STEADY.
Praying for you today!
i know that control is the greatest of all illusions, and yet i still grasp for it all the time.
You made me to back to my January posts and I found I didn’t have one word…I had three things…
1. I’m going to truly trust people again…especially Christian leaders.
2. I’m going to put the negative incidents of the past…in the past.
3. I’m going to step into what I really believe is the calling on my life…fighting human trafficking and those who have been harmed by the sex trade (legal and illegal) in the United States.
I’ve done pretty well on #1 but when you have pastors like Pete Wilson, Blake Bergstrom and Justin Davis it’s kind of easy. #2 really didn’t get done until this month with the Pete Wilson Challenge I’ve been doing. #3 has been dabbled in because no doors have really opened to move big time into it but I’ve done what I can when I can.
I think I’ll keep those focuses for the rest of 2010. :)
way to go, jason — love seeing your choice to be intentional on these things.
No way. Dude. I mean … duuuuuuuuuude!!
A couple of my friends in years past have done the “focus on this word for the year” thing. I did it this year my own self. Before I even knew who you are or that this blog existed.
My word.
RISK.
Still living, still focusing, still risking my heart with a little bit more every day.
i KNEW we were kindred spirits!
I had to go back and look it up. My word was Today.
Today I feel great. How well have I been living this word over the past seven months? I don’t know, I am focused on today.
oh ed, you never cease to make me smile!