Thursday, January 2, 2014

On Being Still...

On this second day of the New Year...
It is time, once again, to give this New Year a name.... a word, because you see, for the past two years, I've chosen to focus on a One Word at the start of each new year and God has used each year's One Word to guide and steer me... for which I am truly grateful!

My One Word for 2012 was soar...

Soaring birds. Downtown Toronto, Summer 2011.

For 2013, my One Word was surrender... 

In a reflective mood and deep in thought. ~ Cape Cod, Summer 2012.

Words starting with the letter "S" must resonate with me a lot... 
... because my One Word for this year is: STILL 

"Still..."
In the days leading up to Christmas, I felt God saying to me, "Be still, and know that I am God!" --- it is the verse from Psalm 46:10 (NLT).

I looked up a few versions of the same verse and liked what I read...
Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. - Amplified Bible.
Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God!" - Contemporary English Version.
Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. - God's Word Translation.
Cease striving and know that I am God. - New American Standard Bible.
Be still, be calm, see, and understand I am the True God. - The Voice.
Give ye attention, and see ye, that I am God. - Wycliffe Bible.
By the Christina River, Wilmington (Delaware). Summer 2013.
Being still and capturing the beauty of God's creation on camera.

I love creating beautiful images to post on Instagram. I've learned that to capture beautiful images, one must be still. Similarly, I think... in order for me to not miss the beautiful moments in my every-days, I must learn to let be and be still... and recognize and understand that He *is* God!

Then, beautiful God-stories will unfold as a result.

This tweet by Eugene Cho says it quite eloquently...

Yes, it's my move!
I am looking forward to being still and paying more attention to God... to my Jesus... and seeing beautiful stories unfold as a result this year.

As Ann Voskamp articulated so beautifully in her blog post earlier today...
The most important life skill to have in 2014 is to live aware that Jesus is the only life I have.
The most important skill to have in 2014 is paying attention to Jesus — nothing else is worth spending your one beautiful year on.
Just be with Jesus. Listen to Jesus. Rest in Jesus. Wait for Jesus. Be Loved by Jesus. Wonder over Jesus. Live through Jesus.
When who Jesus is overwhelms you — nothing that happens can overcome you.
Steep your soul in Jesus and nothing is too steep to overcome.
All there is to see is Jesus.
For others to see Jesus in me. For me to see Jesus in others.
And I couldn't agree more. Yes, it's my move. 2014, here I come!



Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.
Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!

4 comments:

  1. Happy New Year!! I love your word choice for this year. Looking forward to seeing how being still becomes a part of your life.

    God bless!
    Deborah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy New Year to you & your beautiful family, Deborah! Yes, I am sooooo looking forward to experiencing the beauty that comes with being still before our good God!

      Delete
  2. Wow! That post from Ann Voskamp also got my attention! It's interesting how we get different understanding/perceptions of how God is using what someone write to encourage us individually in our walks in life. You read how God was prompting you to be "still", while I felt the phrase Ann used "steeped in Jesus" to encourage me to live a more fervent life....you can read more about it in my post here: http://christintheclouds.blogspot.com/2014/01/livelikethat-and-my-verseword-for-2014.html
    The Lord has definitely used her writing to touch each of our lives! Blessings to you, dear sister in Christ!
    Ann @ Christ in the Clouds

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for dropping by, Ann & for joining the Blog Hop! Love your blog post... thanks for sharing. Yes, it's amazing how God speaks to each of us in different ways using Ann's blog post. He is just so awesome like that!

      Delete