How successful are you with New Year resolutions?
Journal daily… drink 3 Nalgenes full of water each day… don’t use the snooze button…
These are all resolutions of mine from years past. I have had varying levels of success, but almost inevitably lose focus and fail to carry the momentum of a New Year resolution through the full 365 days.
A few years ago, Addie introduced me to a new way of doing beginning-of-the-year reorientation: choosing a “word of the year” on which you regularly mediate. It could be anything you want; the idea is to choose something that, by being reminded of this word, will draw you closer to God.
My 2018 word of the year was immutability, which refers to God’s attribute of being absolutely unchanging. This proved to be a perfectly fitting word for what turned out to be my most change-filled year yet (new job, new baby, new house). Because I had chosen immutability as my word of the year, I was constantly reminded that no matter how much things change in my life, God never changes. I found great peace in that.
This word of the year practice has been far more beneficial to me than any set of resolutions ever was, so I plan on continuing it for 2019.
(Can we pause and say, ‘Whoa! It’s 2019?!’)
I have decided to put a twist on it this year, though.
During the month of January, we are focusing on prayer here at Grace:
Each of the four Sundays of January, Pastor Jack will be preaching on the topic of prayer
We are hosting the A Praying Life seminar on January 18-19 (If you haven’t signed up, there’s still time! Register right now by clicking here)
Drawing on that prayer focus, I have decided to write a short daily prayer based on my 2019 word of the year: value.
Gracious, Almighty Father God,
Thank you for Your steadfast love which endures forever. I pray that You transform my understanding of value this year. Help me to see that my value lies in Your love for me, rather than in anything I do or don’t do. Help me to value each and every person I encounter the way You do; may my interactions with people be filled with a reflection of Your steadfast love. Help me to value each moment - big or small - and how it can be used for Your glory.
Amen.
It is my prayer that, by reading my attempt at reorienting my focus on finding my value in God and understanding value the way He does, you will be inspired to choose your own word of the year and write your own prayer.
May 2019 be a year in which God draws you near to His heart in new and deep ways!
-Nathan Ehresman
PS, I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we worship through song together and explore how Jesus prayed in Mark 1:35 and Luke 5:16. We will also be voting to confirm the three elder candidates presented by the current Board of Elders. And, finally, if you want to learn more about Grace, join us for Starting Point immediately following the 10:30 service!