One Word - Part One

Perspective. My word for the year.

Dennis preached on this very thing some 20 years ago at the church where he was on staff at the time - Central Wesleyan in Holland, Michigan. I believe the message was titled, "Choosing a Word for the Year." Since then, we both have chosen a word for the year. It's the idea of choosing a word - rather than setting goals for a new year resolution - that will bring a theme to life that concentrates on the "be" side of life rather than the "do" side of life.

Recently I was having coffee with a new friend who was sharing about a group of gals she meets with weekly. She told me how one of the gals suggested this idea of choosing a word for the year. She called it a "one-word resolution." I asked her where they got the idea. She wasn't sure and suggested googling it. I was just curious since I'd been doing this thing for years and hadn't really given much thought to it outside of the end of the year thought processes that move me to that one word.

Later that week I googled in "one word" and discovered pages upon Google pages about this one-word resolution. I didn't know that the one-word resolution became such a revolution! :)

Our new lifestyle that requires a lot of travel was the main direction I was going with this word, perspective. My Mac Widget dictionary defines it like this: a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view; a true understanding of the relative importance of things.

For me, it was a matter of keeping a positive attitude in the midst of what sometimes seems like an upheaveled life of packing suitcases, living out of them, sleeping in umpteen different beds, and not always having your own space. Not that it's an abrupt or a sudden change, we plan out our itinerary well in advance, but even so, sometimes in the moments it can get wearisome, especially for this "everything has a place" and "I need some space" kind of person.

But, what I'm finding out - not far into this new year - is that the direction my thoughts were going with this theme were minor to how God intended to use this word in my life.