A word for the New Year...

Did you miss me? I hope so!!! I missed you - last year got so crazy in the second half, with lots of hospital visits by our youngest... hopefully we are now on the right track with her to stay in good health for her final semester of undergraduate college studies (before she heads for law school).

One of the blogs I read faithfully is called "The Generous Wife"... I have linked to this, because today's post really hit a spot with me.

In her post today, on January 3 (my grandbaby Emma's first birthday, by the way), she mentions a project for choosing One Word instead of a resolution (or a bunch of them) that you won't keep anyway.

As part of accountability... I wanted to share my one word with you, friends, because it is important.....

my one word is....

Beauty.

Yeah.... beauty. I don't mean well made-up, fancily dressed slenderly elegant ladies... I mean ReAL beauty - the kind that God instilled in us when He created us in His image.

I prayed after I read her post this morning that God would lead me to THE word.... and He faithfully did so! I was feeling a bit down this morning for a couple of reasons, and I got in my car with my favorite radio station turned UP (www.ksbj.org - you can listen on the web - noncommercial Contemporary Christian music - check it out!!!) and the first song that came on was "Beautiful" by Mercy Me.

Written with their daughters in mind, and how the world tries to push surface, artificial standards of beauty on us, this song has a deeper message - God sees such beauty in me (and you!) that He sent His Son to die for me (and you!). We have a fight with our spouse or a friend, we get criticized at work or school, and we feel like it's all over, but God says, "You are beautiful".

I want to see that kind of beauty in others. I want to proactively look for it, even in those who drive me the craziest.

Beauty - that's my word for the year (and hopefully thereafter) and that's my prayer.

How about you? Got a word for this year that you want to make your own instead of the usual "eat right, get more sleep, exercise more" futility?

Let me know YOUR word.... and in the meantime, don't forget - you are beautiful!

Nanc

LINKS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vh7-RSPuAA

http://mercyme.org/2010/09/17/behind-the-song-beautiful/#!/ss:facebook

Days will come when you don't have the strength,
When all you hear is "you're not worth anything"
Wondering if you ever could be loved,
And if they truly saw your heart, they'd see too much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful,
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful,
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His,
You're beautiful

I'm praying that you have the heart to fight,
'Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long,
They are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful,You're beautiful,
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful,You're beautiful,
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His,
You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath, long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed, there was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above, you're the one He madly loves
Enough to die

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes
You're beautiful
You were meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You are treasured you are sacred you are His
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You were meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured you are sacred you are His.