{embrace}

As the ringing of the New Year has begun to fade, like the sent of fresh pine from a once crisp Christmas tree, the excitement has settled, just as the confetti has.  The thrill for many of a new beginning has dissipated into the grind of every day life. With resolutions quickly muffled by the overpowering tasks accumulating on our to-do lists.

While for others, however, the resolutions made, the one or two of maybe a handful have stuck. The New Year is their canvas, blank page, a fresh start and they are still riding the horse tall and proud, determined to make the long journey ahead.

I’d have to place myself in the in between. To me, the New Year resembled another week, with the open offer to start anew. And while I’ve mentally formulated resolutions for myself in the coming year, what has truly enveloped my motivations for 2015 was choosing my word for the year. A word to define the next 365, well at this point 360, days of this year.

Coming to my word was not simple. I did not shuffle through Barnes and Noble in pursuit of one of the remaining printed dictionaries, to quickly open to an arbitrary page and with my eyes squeezed shut, point to a word. Unfortunately, it was much less adventitious. It was a process. A process of great thought and quiet prayers.

In contrast to the flimsy resolutions I attempt each year I desired for this year to amount to something. To focus less on the results of what I so desperately wanted and more on the formation. I spent time pondering who I wanted to be and what I wanted to receive from this year, instead of what I could change. I faced my weaknesses, determining if I was brave enough to define the days to come by them with confidence. The word ‘acceptance’ was suggested to me, which left a sour taste in my mouth, as I was not going to simply accept what 2015 held. To me acceptance felt like a shade of gray, indifferent, distant and as if I was settling. I wasn’t about to settle. If anything, my word needed to challenge my deepest being and bring definition and purpose to my days. I toyed with ‘present’ and contemplated ‘confidence’ and ultimately all these avenues led me to ‘embrace’.

So there it is, my word: embrace

I want to become the person who not only accepts what 2015 has to offer but embraces it. To embrace what I am given, the circumstances, the opportunities, the investments and endeavors; the difficult decisions, and the challenges, to allow each to mold me into a stronger person.

To embrace the celebrations, excitement and simple joys each day brings.

I want to embrace the Holy Spirits work in my life, the plans God has for me, and the unknowns of trusting in Him.

I want to embrace the person I am right here and now, not who I only wish to become. To embrace my weaknesses and shortcomings, using them to empower my growth as an individual instead of tear me apart.

I want to embrace my imperfections and in doing so find the beauty behind the brokenness.

To embrace each day, being present in the moments.

So, as life swiftly picks back up where it left off and I too begin to feel the anticipation lingering in the air begin to thin, I embrace the yet to come and the potential for so much more. 

I hope you too embrace all 2015 brings for you.