It's that time of year again. The new year has begun, and our pastor has brought up the "word for the year" concept. I'm tired after the past few weeks. With Thanksgiving and Christmas, New Year's and family--I'm kind of pooped. So thinking about a new word for this next year wasn't at the forefront of my mind. I actually didn't even want to pray about it. After all, I was still too tired from last year's work. Why would I want a new word? Seriously, that's exactly what I thought.
However, as our pastor was teaching yesterday morning, I felt God stirring my heart. I tried for a bit to just ignore those stirrings, but I couldn't. How can one ignore the voice of God? I can't. As I sat there, I began to pray and ask Him — OK, Lord, what is my word for this year? Just what word do you have for me that is going to "motivate" me in the year 2014? I wasn't very enthusiastic, but I was curious. And as the morning wore on, I became increasingly intrigued.
The minute He whispered the word into my heart, I knew it was mine. I knew that it was my "word for the year". When I heard it, I chuckled. It was a funny word to me, one that didn't seem to make a lot of sense in those first few seconds. I immediately took out my iPhone and looked it up. I needed a correct definition, I mean, what if I hadn't heard it correctly? I needed to know what this word meant, or what it could mean to me, before I claimed it as mine, right?
Even the definition spoke to my heart. Yes, this was my word, alright. My word for the year. The word is--exude. Yes, exude. It means to discharge slowly and steadily. That's going to prove interesting this year. And I'm wondering--how is God going to use this particular word in my life? I'm going to enjoy watching this play out. I don't think I'll be bored, that's for sure. I'm not sure how exciting it will be, but I do think God is going to teach me a lot, maybe about being slow and steady. It sort of sounds that way to me; however, I've been wrong before.
So as this year plays out, I'm sure I'll be posting blog posts about this word and how God is using it in my life — teaching me, guiding me, and using me. And I'm ready. I'm ready to exude — especially my love for Him.
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