Be.

That’s my one word for 2011. As in:

Be present.

Be thankful.

Be content.

 Be joyful.

Be peaceful.

Be patient.

Be kind.

Be gentle.

The list could go on but you get the point. Some of you may think I’m letting myself off easy because a word like be doesn’t require me to actually do anything. That’s exactly the point. I’m a Type A personality—a doer by nature. All of my life I’ve struggled with my tendency to base my worth on what I do.

At the end of last year as I wrote in my journal and prayed about what 2011 would hold, I felt like the Lord showed me He wanted me to focus on who I am and not on what I do. The areas He wants me to be mindful of this year pertain more to who I am and less on what I can produce.

2011 will be about receiving and not about achieving. For me, it’s going to be a year of surrender. Laying it all down like this is probably one of the riskiest things I’ve ever done. I like to be in control and there’s nothing further from control than a posture of surrender. Control demands holding on tight, and in this season God is asking me to fully let go.

In the final week of last year God began to show me that there are seasons of reaping and seasons of sowing. This is a season of sowing. Far less glamorous, and often devoid of results, seasons of sowing are sometimes difficult and thankless but absolutely vital to yielding a healthy gain in the future.

If I fail to embrace the season of sowing not only will I miss the rich lessons it holds, but I will also reap very little in seasons to come. You cannot reap what you have not sown.

Ecclesiastes 3:2 says there is a time to plant and a time to harvest.

2011 is to be a planting year. May my roots grow deep in rich soil so one day I will yield a plentiful harvest.

Receiving not achieving.

Learning to just be.

What’s your one word for 2011? 

Tags: goal setting, letting go, New Year's resolutions, One Word 2011, receiving from God

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 6th, 2011 at 12:05 am and is filed under Life Lessons, My Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.