Wholesome Talk » word of the year http://wholesometalk.com Encouragement for women, recipes, crafts, book reviews Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:15:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 My Word of the Year for 2010: Gifts http://wholesometalk.com/?p=769 http://wholesometalk.com/?p=769#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:23:54 +0000 Sandy http://wholesometalk.com/?p=769 Over the last few days, I have been thinking about my word for the year.  It’s so hard to limit myself to just one, with so many great word possibilities out there, but I find comfort in the fact that if I get a good handle on one word, I can take on a new one.  I was also thinking last night about something I did for a while many, many years ago.  I was in a very boring temp job just after graduating from college, and I felt like I was making any progress in life.  I started naming the days.  For example, I would rename Monday “Joy” and then my eyes were opened to all the sources of joy that came to me that day.  Another day, I named “Surprises” and since that’s where my focus was, I noticed some happy surprises throughout the day.  Remembering that I have named days before made naming a year a little less intimidating.  So, without further stalling, my word for 2010 is..

Gifts!

This word has so many lovely connotations for me:

  • The gifts I see in others and how to encourage them
  • The gifts God has given me and how to discover and us8e them more
  • The gift each new day offers
  • The many gifts God has given us in Christ, in his Word, and in a million other things large and small

There are lots of verses in the Bible that deal with gifts.  Check out Ephesians 2: 8-9:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works so that no one can boast.

This verse has been such an encouragement to me!  I believe it refers not only to the grace of salvation, but also that God’s grace is available to us to save us from whatever we need saving from–whether it’s a bad habit or a wrong way of thinking.  God’s free gift of grace enables us to overcome!

Here is another verse that I love that deals with the gifts God gives us.  See Ecclesiastes 5:19:

Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work–this is the gift of God.

The ability to enjoy what we have is a precious gift from God.  I am very excited about gifts today–maybe it’s carry over from Christmas, but I don’t think so.  I am beginning to envision myself, the people in my life, the coming days, the coming moments as bright and shiny wonders just waiting to be opened.



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