Did You Pick a Word? I Picked TWO.

I’ve seen a lot of ‘pick a word’ for 2014 that will define it for you, for your family, for your dreams.  I’m not a resolution girl but I do love a good theme. I love numbers (not math..just numbers to clarify) and I really love numbers in the Bible.  So….I checked out 14 in the Bible and found this….

‘The fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover, when God delivered the firstborn of Israel from death. Some 430 years earlier, on the night of the 14th day of the first month, God made two covenant promises to Abraham — one of the physical seed, Isaac, and his descendants, and one of the spiritual seed, Jesus Christ, and the sons of God who would come through Him, who would shine like the stars of heaven (Matthew 13:43). On the day portion of the 14th, God confirmed the promises with a special covenant sacrifice.’

Two words jumped out at me….shine and sacrifice.

You probably read something totally different. So these are the words that will define 2014 for me.

Shine….easier said than done. Letting Him shine means moving me out of the way….no extra effort involved if I’m out of the way. He shines….we reflect His awesomeness to others. I love this….stepping to the side is full of yep you guessed it…sacrifice. But it is so worth it.

As a mom and new wife, you and I totally get sacrifice. It’s the way we live. But most of ‘what we do’ in that sacrifice is just mindless, right? I don’t think about the joy I bring to my kids by washing their clothes…I just do it. I don’t think about making a sandwich…I just do it because they need to eat. So….I’m challenging myself to make intentional sacrifices for my husband, my kids, and my friends. An intentional sacrifice for me would be playing a game like monopoly or anything with lots of pieces that make a mess. I know right…I’m ridiculous. But this is intentional for me. I could write a whole post on game playing but I’ll spare you. Intentional for me means making more phone calls to hear my dearest friends and family speak. I text them and I have a million reasons why I do that and you do too. I want to be intentional to hear their heart not read it.  Intentional for my husband is being intentional to help us get to the gym and creating time to do that. He needs accountability and so do I. I can do that….it is an intentional planned day to make that happen at our house and it has so many benefits for us all.

Here is the funny thing….all of these things seems simple…playing a game, calling people, scheduling around a goal two times a week. And…in reality they are simple but they are a stretch for me. I’m in….I know these simple things can add joy beyond words for my kids, can bring a smile or a prayer at that time when that friend needed it most, and it can bring all kinds of mental and physical benefits from a little intentionality and a sacrifice.

Come on ….let’s shine brighter than we ever have and model the sacrifice of all sacrifices, Jesus Christ. Can’t wait….let’s do this