oneWord
Every New Year, we make Resolutions hoping to change, yet they never seem to stick. Most resolutions tend to focus on some bad habit that needs to be broken or areas that we fell short in 2009... and we promise ourselves that we’ll be better.
But we don't get better. And before we realize it, another year is over with little or no personal growth having occurred in our lives. Has anyone ever truly changed by making a New Year's Resolution? Could it be that our long list of resolutions gets in the way of figuring out who God wants us to be?
oneWord is designed to move beyond what we want in our lives--our plans, hopes and dreams-- to what God wants for us. Most of our failed resolutions tend to focus on the type of person we want to become based on the person we’ve been. God’s promise to us is that we will become His people. So what if our hopes for the year centered on who God wanted us to become instead?
So for 2010, let's ditch the list. Let's not focus on a long list of changes you want to make this year–and instead pick oneWord--oneWord that God wants us to focus on and get laser-focused on life change. So, what's your one word?
PICK YOUR WORD
So let me tell you how you can pick your oneWord. You start by answering this question:
1. What kind of person do you hope to become in 2010?
You have 12 months ahead of you—you are going to be somebody at the end of that 12 months. The question is, “Who do you hope to be?” “Who it is that God has made me to be?” “Who has God called me and created me to be?”—and that is more than just changing a habit. That leads us to number 2:
2. Focus on the future, not on your past.
So many people’s focus for next year is this: “Not to do what they did in the past.” Really? Is that it? God has given you days and months and years—and the best you can do is, “I hope I never do that again!”
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:12-14 (NLT)
Paul isn’t focusing on his past. Paul is looking forward to what lies ahead. He is looking to what God, through Christ, is calling him—and us. Focus on the next 12 months ahead, not behind—“Who do you hope to become?” “Who it is that God has made and called you to become?” It helps us to focus on our character and vision for our future instead of getting locked up in our circumstances and regrets from our past.
3. Sit down by yourself with a pen and a piece of paper and describe the future.
Ask God, “What have you made me for?” “God, what have you made me for?” If you did number 1 and answered What kind of person do you hope to become in 2010?, then you start to identify the characteristics of that person. Get a picture of that person and then simply identify their major characteristics, like: “Is that person gentle? Is that person generous?” What are the qualities of the person you want to becomeStart writing down words.
4. Write down a list of words, then cut the list in half.
We must resist the temptation to promise you will do them all. Instead, simply commit to oneWord. Break it down. Distill it. Cut it in half. If you have 40 words, cut it down to 20 words. When you have 20 words, cut it down to 10. Narrow your focus. If you have 10, cut it to 5. Dwindle it down and narrow the focus to 1 word.
You know another way how this will help you out? When you narrow the focus to this one thing—this one word—it will determine what you need to say yes to in 2010 and what you can say no to in 2010. Choosing one word helps to provide clarity and it narrows your focus by taking all of your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single thing. From there, it is much easier to plan your calendar around the one word you want to become than around a list of 100 things we never get around to doing. It you into crystal clear clarity and help plot a course for growth.
We will be sharing this journey together--let us know how God is changing you by sharing your one word. This is a journey that we are taking together, hoping that God will change us for the sake of ourselves, the other people in our lives, and ultimately for His own Glory.
But we don't get better. And before we realize it, another year is over with little or no personal growth having occurred in our lives. Has anyone ever truly changed by making a New Year's Resolution? Could it be that our long list of resolutions gets in the way of figuring out who God wants us to be?
oneWord is designed to move beyond what we want in our lives--our plans, hopes and dreams-- to what God wants for us. Most of our failed resolutions tend to focus on the type of person we want to become based on the person we’ve been. God’s promise to us is that we will become His people. So what if our hopes for the year centered on who God wanted us to become instead?
So for 2010, let's ditch the list. Let's not focus on a long list of changes you want to make this year–and instead pick oneWord--oneWord that God wants us to focus on and get laser-focused on life change. So, what's your one word?
PICK YOUR WORD
So let me tell you how you can pick your oneWord. You start by answering this question:
1. What kind of person do you hope to become in 2010?
You have 12 months ahead of you—you are going to be somebody at the end of that 12 months. The question is, “Who do you hope to be?” “Who it is that God has made me to be?” “Who has God called me and created me to be?”—and that is more than just changing a habit. That leads us to number 2:
2. Focus on the future, not on your past.
So many people’s focus for next year is this: “Not to do what they did in the past.” Really? Is that it? God has given you days and months and years—and the best you can do is, “I hope I never do that again!”
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:12-14 (NLT)
Paul isn’t focusing on his past. Paul is looking forward to what lies ahead. He is looking to what God, through Christ, is calling him—and us. Focus on the next 12 months ahead, not behind—“Who do you hope to become?” “Who it is that God has made and called you to become?” It helps us to focus on our character and vision for our future instead of getting locked up in our circumstances and regrets from our past.
3. Sit down by yourself with a pen and a piece of paper and describe the future.
Ask God, “What have you made me for?” “God, what have you made me for?” If you did number 1 and answered What kind of person do you hope to become in 2010?, then you start to identify the characteristics of that person. Get a picture of that person and then simply identify their major characteristics, like: “Is that person gentle? Is that person generous?” What are the qualities of the person you want to becomeStart writing down words.
4. Write down a list of words, then cut the list in half.
We must resist the temptation to promise you will do them all. Instead, simply commit to oneWord. Break it down. Distill it. Cut it in half. If you have 40 words, cut it down to 20 words. When you have 20 words, cut it down to 10. Narrow your focus. If you have 10, cut it to 5. Dwindle it down and narrow the focus to 1 word.
You know another way how this will help you out? When you narrow the focus to this one thing—this one word—it will determine what you need to say yes to in 2010 and what you can say no to in 2010. Choosing one word helps to provide clarity and it narrows your focus by taking all of your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single thing. From there, it is much easier to plan your calendar around the one word you want to become than around a list of 100 things we never get around to doing. It you into crystal clear clarity and help plot a course for growth.
We will be sharing this journey together--let us know how God is changing you by sharing your one word. This is a journey that we are taking together, hoping that God will change us for the sake of ourselves, the other people in our lives, and ultimately for His own Glory.