I am now almost halfway through January and well into my journey with my new word.
2019 was my year to THRIVE and I did quite well with that word until life threw me a bronchitis curve midway through. After that, it just seemed that I could not get back on the Thrive bandwagon.
I am not sure if it was my “unfinished business” with my old word or the fact that I have not really settled into my new life that made it difficult to settle on a word for 2020. Whatever the case, I found myself going back and forth between several words for weeks before I finally settled on
I am not sure that some people in my immediate family completely understood my word choice. They wondered what I really wanted to do. Well…..
Maybe THIS will make it a bit clearer:
I want to reach out and stretch myself into my new community. I want to try doing things that I normally would not do (believe it or not I have actually signed up for a gym membership), try foods that I have always been uncertain about, go out on my own (something I do not TOTALLY feel comfortable with at times), meet new people, and begin to develop new relationships.
I also want to deepen my relationship with God and the Bible. To accomplish this I have laid out several goals for myself:
- Read my Bible through this year. (I did that once a couple of years ago and it was a TRUE blessing!)
- Journal daily (I have purchased a new planner to use for this- more about that in another blog entry)
- Integrate devotionals into my reading for the year (This one got a jump start when my sweet son gifted me with several devotional books at Christmas.)
- Attend church regularly (I have already located what will probably become my “home” church here in London thanks to my daughter and son-in-law. They had begun attending a local church and I have been going with them. I feel very welcome there and I feel that God is leading me to become more involved there.
I am settling into a morning routine. I get up and brush my teeth then head into the kitchen to prepare breakfast and a sack lunch for my sweet Hubby. I take my medicine and sit and chat with him until he leaves for work around 7. Then I head into “my” room. I have set it up as a craft space with all of my stamps, inks, and other supplies. One of the key things is my little journaling space right in front of the window.
I have all of my colored pencils and markers arranged so that I can find them easily, a few of my favorite inks, some stickers, my washi tape collection, and this stack of books:
I have included my first devotional and 3 different translations of the Bible: an NIV, a KJV, and a CSB study bible. I like to read key passages in all three translations to help me get a better understanding of God’s words. (Yet another way, I am stretching myself.)
This is MY space and the time I spend there is time where I can truly feel God’s presence. I feel certain that if I continue this routine I will discover new things about God’s word, God’s will for me, and new things about myself. THAT is my goal with STRETCHING!
Renewal and Refuge 