A new year is right around the corner, and this year I'm taking a page out of a blog I read to help focus my "resolutions" for the year. Shawni Poithier likes to choose a word for the year, something that represents the direction she wants her life to take personally, and a way she'd like to improve herself. Last year she chose "simplicity," which is a really good one, and one I considered for myself this year. But while listening to our Christmas service at church, one speaker said something in his talk and immediately this word, and an accompanying scripture and song popped into my head.
More.
In Charles Dickens' story A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge shifts from a self-centered character to a more selfless one. His eyes are opened to life around him, he sees more opportunities to bless and help others, he gives more of himself.
These words to Kenneth Cope's song "More" sum up beautifully what I have in mind:
More steady, more sure,
More trusted, more pure
More trained, and more aware
More aim to get me there
I climb this far
You raise the bar
You want my heart
More fierce desire to stand agains the wind
More blazing fire when dark is closing in
more love inspired change within
So there's more and more of me to give
More words to learn and know
More etched upon my soul
More tried, more true,
Less me and much more You
I stretch this tall
You sound the call
You want my all
More strength in shoulders to face the war with sin
More wise and bolder to save the souls of men
A more faithful soldier to the end
You want more and more of me to give
Embedded within these lyrics are the scripture that will be my motto for the year:
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
- John 3:30
This idea of more I hope will permeate as I try to step up, raise the bar, stand a little higher. I've been mulling over the idea lately of self-improvement, or trying to purposefully move myself toward something instead of just floating along in the status quo. There is a prevalent idea in the world that the world owes us happiness. In this me-centered universe, anything and anyone around me should make me happy; if it doesn't, I should cut it out. Instead, I want to take responsibility for my life, increase my understanding of how I can improve the lives of others and improve my own life. I want to become less of a consumer and more of a producer.
1 comment:
Ha! John 3:30 is a verse I have been meditating on a lot lately... thanks for sharing.
I like your choice of 'word for the year' too!
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