Word for the Year

Sorry it's been so quiet around here lately...been a busy couple weeks enjoying visits from my sis and her girls and my aunt as well as just regular life. :) Any of you who have enjoyed Ann Voskamp's ministry have probably heard about the Word for the Year concept (based on this book). Although I've always thought it sounded like a good idea, I've never done it until Holly encouraged the young ladies bible study to choose a word. So, word searching I went...it's actually a very interesting exercise as it helps you give a focus point to life and causes you to evaluate the main thing you want to strive for. I came up with a whole bunch of good words...intentional, cultivate, supernatural (Hannah thought that one meant I was trying to be a superhero or something :) ), compassion, and a few more I can't think of right now. But, when I woke up the morning of the study, one word stuck in my mind that encapsulated all the other words...love. If I have love, then I will be intentional, I will work at cultivating my walk with God and others, I will live supernaturally because I love God's ways more than my own, I will be compassionate because I will be thinking of others, etc. Now, the challenge is the daily choice of living it. :)

We began a new devotional book with the kiddos last week and the first section was on love...here are some good quotes I've appreciated from it:

It is not by accident that the first fruit of the Spirit is love. In a sense, love encompasses the eight fruit that follow. Joy is love's cheerfulness; peace is love's confidence; patience is love's composure; gentleness is love's consideration; goodness is love's character; faith is love's trustworthiness; meekness is love's strength; and self-control is love's discipline.

Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully.

We love the gifts that God gives us. Let's love the Giver. The wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.

Christian love is like the moon--it has no light of its own. It is a reflection of the Sun of righteousness.

The mystery of love is that the more you give, the more remains in your heart.

Love forgets itself.

The girls drawing and sketching out word ideas

Such an amazing group of girls! Love having them in Hannah's life

I thought it was pretty convenient that the plate I made in Dec
had my word for the year on it :)

By the way...if you're wondering about Hannah's word...she chose joyful. :)