The Way With a Word

January 15, 2015 by beWARM.

We’re two weeks into the new year, and I am still trying on my Word for size.

Resilience ~ it has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say?

In praying for my Word for the Year, I asked God for the wherewithal to receive (2013) my word with wholehearted (2014) enthusiasm.

There were other words that hung on my mental clothesline…clear, forward, peace… but resilience attracted me because it has a certain energy about it.

The ability to spring back after being pulled, stretched, pressed or bent connotes inner strength and resolve.

Couldn’t we all use a little more of that?

Being resilient would help me become unstuck when my mind wants to sink into the quicksand of doubt or negativity.

It would give me the mental buoyancy to somersault through the verbal chatter that can sometimes cloud my thoughts. ( I can barely recall the last time I was even able to execute a real somersault!)

Resilience, to me, has broad dimension, and interesting contrasts.

It can be strong and tough, or airy and expansive.

I love the words related to resilience – bounce, flexibility, and stamina, to name a few.

But my favorite is effervescence.

If God can sprinkle few sparkles into the mix of life’s challenging moments, I’m all for that.

And recognizing the radiant light of God in others – each eliciting his or her own expression of resilience – is the gift of learning through example.

So, Lord….thank you for my Word.

Let resilience be my walking stick as I plod through the the ordinary days.

Let it be the rock I lean against during the worst of storms.

Let it be your love and strength, washing over me as I face challenges, large and small.

And best of all, let resilience bubble over when I toss the confetti of joy, celebrating life.

Thank you for showing me The Way…

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Have you chosen a Word For The Year? Please feel free to share it!

Posted in General | Tagged Resilience, Strength | 17 Comments

17 Responses

on January 15, 2015 at 5:52 am | Reply Anonymous

My word is POUR. Pour out blessings, pour out your heart, pour down rain, out oil… It means so many things, some of which include: 1) to purify, distil, strain, refine, to purge.
Wow, the one thing for sure, it is sure to be an exciting journey! Blessings to you my friend.
on January 15, 2015 at 5:55 am | Reply cynthia bowers

oops, that last one was from Cynthia Bowers (couldn’t figure out how to edit the comment!)
on January 15, 2015 at 6:54 am | Reply beWARM.

Yes, it will be exciting, Cynthia! And I love the life in your word. May God POUR out Himself beyond measure in your life this year!!!
on January 15, 2015 at 8:13 am | Reply Margaret Deaton

Love this, Toni – I’m still WAITing for this year’s word . . .
on January 15, 2015 at 8:50 am | Reply beWARM.

…and I know God will send you one!
on January 15, 2015 at 9:21 am | Reply bettymilroy

Oh, you go, girl……………..and is GO my word?????? Bless you for your faithful blogs, Toni! (is it FAITHFUL???)
- on January 16, 2015 at 9:57 am | Reply beWARM.
  
  Whatever your word, Betty….we are GOing FAITHFUL-ly together!
on January 15, 2015 at 11:12 am | Reply Jean Luther

My word for 2015 is GRATITUDE (in ALL things.) My word for 2014 was FORWARD and that at best was a partial victory as life’s circumstances took its toll on my resolve to move forward. I realized that when I forget to praise God and be thankful in ALL things joy and energy just blow out the window. It is easy to praise Him when things are going well but what do I do when the fig tree does not blossom…? As Habakkuk said, “Yet I will exult in the Lord and rejoice in the God of my salvation.”

In 2015 I want to sing a “New Song” to the Lord. The old song of complaint and weariness is gone and my New Song will be of praise and gratitude in ALL things, not just what I deem to be the good things.

Psalm 149:1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a New Song and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
- on January 16, 2015 at 10:06 am | Reply beWARM.
  
  Thank you for sharing, Jean! it will be exciting to hear what God shows you as you enter 2015 with GRATITUDE… And I love your idea of singing a “New Song”!
  - on January 16, 2015 at 12:27 pm Jean Luther
    
    It will be for sure and it goes along with your word “resilience” as we are able to “spring back after being pulled, stretched, pressed or bent “without complaint. All I can say is “Fasten our seat belts!”
  - on January 16, 2015 at 3:53 pm beWARM.
    
    :)
on January 15, 2015 at 1:24 pm | Reply Jan

Beautiful.
- on January 16, 2015 at 10:06 am | Reply beWARM.
  
  And you are the same, dear friend…inside and out.
on January 15, 2015 at 3:15 pm | Reply Fran Bruno

…so enjoyed your blog…always find myself reading it several times ..to ponder..to soak in Toni…
My word this year is ‘light’….
“Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a ‘light’ upon my path.”
Psalm 119:105
- on January 16, 2015 at 10:07 am | Reply beWARM.
  
  Thank you, Frannie, for being His light to us all!
on January 15, 2015 at 8:30 pm | Reply Lora

Resilience – the ability to weather life’s storms with Christ as our anchor. “Hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…inwardly being renewed day by day” 2Cor:8,16 “being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord” 2Cor3:18 I like your idea of a word for the year. Something to meditate on, pray on, and grow into.
- on January 16, 2015 at 10:10 am | Reply beWARM.
  
  Thank you for the Scripture references, Lora! They will serve as reflection points on my journey of RESILIENCE this year. And choosing a word for the year has been such a gift for these past 3 years; God does remarkable things in surprising ways related to my word, all through the year.