My One Word

On the way to work last Monday, I was listening to K-LOVE and heard a really interesting story concerning the Web site, myoneword.org. Later that day, I decided to check it out for myself. The concept is pretty simple; rather than make a whole bunch of New Year Resolutions that will inevitably fall through, you commit yourself to live out one word for an entire year. The idea is that it is much easier to focus on a single element at least once every day than to tackle five things every day for a year.

This idea really intrigued me. I decided to participate, but how on earth could I pick ONE word. Immediately, words like "love, peace and hope" came to mind. They are beautiful words, but they just didn't feel right for me this year. I decided to pray on it for a couple of days and see what I came up with. Two days later I was laying in bed, tossing and turning, when it finally came to me; the word that kept coming to my mind over and over again: PURSUE. 

The biggest fear in my life is failure. The thought of not being enough is paralyzing to me. Admittedly, there have been times where I've had opportunities that I chose not to pursue, because it was easier to not know or act than to try and risk failure. I have missed out on a lot because of this.

Not this year. 

Graduating college and moving on to the next phase of my life is going to present a lot of opportunities, a lot of room to succeed and a ton of room to fail. It is my goal for this year to pursue them all. 

I have chosen to live a year in constant pursuance. I want to pursue opportunities. I want to pursue friendships. I want to pursue the heart of God, because I know that He is in constant pursuance of me. 

Right now I am in a state of 'wanting'. I want a lot of things. However, wanting does not translate into action. It is a state of mind that leaves you standing in the same place for as long as you are willing to stand there. However, I believe that we are not made to sit still. We are created to move, to follow, to pursue.

Just like in a dating relationship, when a man pursues the heart of his beloved, he is thoughtful, intentional and filled with purpose. He risks his pride and his heart, because succeeding will change his life forever. It is my hope to pursue life with this same fervency. 

I am looking forward to the challenge that my one word presents, one day at a time. 

Taylor

***If you chose ONE word for your year, what would it be and why? 

Planner.

Since high school, I have been a habitual list maker. Next to the Bible, the most important book in my life is my planner. And since high school, I have kept every planner I have ever owned. It sounds silly, but it's a day to day account of my life for the past 8 years. That's got to count for something, right?

Within their pages, there are a lot of additions and subtractions, erase smudges and highlights. It's messy. It's shorthand. It's life. And it continually amazes me at how I seem to fly through the pages, gaining speed with each passing year.

Thanksgiving seemed like two days ago, and tonight I find myself ringing in a brand new year. So much time has gone by and so much life has been packed into two very short months, let alone this entire year. 

The last year has been filled with so many wonderful blessings: Best friend's wedding, SB in NYC, Celebrated a year w/ my sweetheart, Saw MB in Tulsa, A week in paradise with my family, My last rush, Start of SR year, Thanksgiving, Finishing Capstone, Christmas, and now New Years... 

This year hasn't been without its hardships too. I think this has been one of the most spiritually challenging times I have ever been through, but I have faith that it will be brought full circle and that the valleys, just like the mountains, are all for the infinite glory of our Heavenly Father. 

Today, I bought a new planner. The pages are clean, crisp and blank; itching to be scribbled on with the next year's plans, goals and dreams. But that's all they are, just my plans. They are drawn up with the best intentions. But it is my ultimate goal this year, to scrap my planner (figuratively speaking) and follow, with reckless abandon, after the heart of God; to seek His plans for my life above my own. I want to hand over my pen, daily, to the Author of Perfection. 

It is my hope this next year to love deeper than I've ever loved; to seek, more earnestly than ever before, the privilege of be of being created in the image of the ultimate Creator; and, at the end of each day, to rest my head knowing that I exhausted every effort to live fully. 

I hope 2011 brings you more joy than you've ever experienced. 

Taylor