Monday, January 18, 2016

Flourish

My husband and I are goal setters. We sit down at the new year, review last years goals and set new ones. Last year my husband started a new thing. He decided to pick one word to describe his intent for the year. He also picked a new one for this year (read it HERE).

I tagged along with his word for last year; focus. But this year I decided to own a word for myself. I prayed about it and as I started a new journal (I start new ones each year), I opened it up to find the word, Flourish. A friend, and leader in MOPS, gave me this journal this past summer. I have been anticipating writing in it and she wrote Flourish, describing it in the notebook. It was like a lightbulb went off...that's it! I'm so thankful God prompted Allison to write in it. 



Words have power. They speak life, or death. They can lift up or tear down. Grow, thrive, prosper. What words I desire to be true in life! So I do think that claiming a word and letting it be part of your story is a great thing. I'm excited to meditate on this word and see how God uses it in my life this year. I hope and pray that He grows me as a wife, mother, friend, daughter, and trainer.


One way I've been feeling a desire to grow is in prayer. "A particularly favorable environment" means I have to enter into relationships most likely, to flourish. What better environment to enter into than presence of God with prayer? I stumbled upon a blog that has free printables on praying scripture for the entire year. I'm on board (mercyisnew.com). Praying scripture over my family is something I desire, so diving into this is going to be fun, challenging, and no-doubt rewarding. 


Among prayer, I am also seeking out the relationships that bring peace to encourage me. Relationships that are focused on loving God and others. Relationships that challenge me to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I'm learning to recognize more what these people look like in my life. I'm excited to continue diving into these relationships. 

Do you have a word you're going to embrace for 2016? I hope and pray that God helps me flourish this year and I'm excited to see His work in my life.