Tripping Over Typeset

For the last two years, I have ventured into this OneWord365 journey.  I choose one word to pray over, in and around my life.  I focus in and keep this one word in my line of vision.  I post it where I see it daily. I continually go back to it; trusting that what God placed in my mind at the beginning of the year, He brings to fulfillment.

The first year, I chose COURAGE and last year was TRUST.  As I was praying about 2016, one word came around and smacked me face first and I knew… ADVENTURE.  And for this mama who likes things stable in her life, it sent my mind whirling and spinning in a spiral of “Aahhh!!!”

See, I haven’t always been a truly spontaneous person.  My hubby can attest to that fact.

When Dave and I were at the beginning of this marriage bit, I was busy planning the wedding, he was taking care of the honeymoon.  As the days grew closer and the little square boxes were being checked off the to-do list, I brought around the questions,

• “Where are we going?”
• “How long are we going for?”
• “What should I pack?”

and the answers given were…

• “It’s a surprise.”
• “A week”
• “Whatever you want.”

What kind of information is that?

Are we going north or south? Hot or cold? Beach or mountains?  I need to know these things!

And the answer he gave was…. “Can’t you be prepared for both?”

And I can just hear all the ladies scream at their screens…. “NO!  WE NEED TO KNOW!”  There are different clothing needs and accessories for both locations and with limited space… we need to know.

It turned out we headed north and the swimsuit was needed just for hotel pools and hot tubs.  There was no real plan in place, and because of this fact, a few confrontations happened along the way.

One person in this new marriage was a let’s-be-adventurous kind of person.  And that person’s plan was ‘no plan’ or the simple plan of: “Wake up when we want, decide what to do as the day happens and end up wherever our day takes us.  We don’t need hotel reservations.  We’ll just get a room where we stop for the night.” 

And the passenger in the other seat was shouting: “What do you mean we don’t have hotel reservations?”

Amazingly, twenty plus years later we’re still together.  We’ve both grown.  The spontaneous grants a little structure for the planner and the planner gives a little grace to the spontaneous.  We have some great adventures together.

And that’s where God has led me.  He has led this structured, have-a-detailed-plan-in-place-before-we-move-forward girl into a place where she has gathered some courage, learned to trust more and now moved on to ADVENTURE.

This is a dare to have the necessary courage and boldness for something that will involve risk.  And isn’t that like faith?

FAITH: the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ~ Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

He calls us to…

• trust Him in the places we don’t yet know about.
• believe when we don’t see the answer.
• journey into the unknown with the One who knows.

That can be scary for those of us who like to know the plan.

But this is what we can know.

• He who is faithful is always faithful.
• He that begins something, brings it to completion.
• And the One who calls us to trust Him, is always trustworthy.

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though they may stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord upholds them with His hand.” ~ Psalm 37:23-24

That was the verse from all of last year and I’m taking it with me into this next adventure because that’s what I need to know.  I need to know that as I delight in Him, He will make those steps firm beneath my feet.  As I venture out and take bold, new steps in the direction He leads, He’s got my hand and I can trust Him.

I don’t really know what this year holds.  It’s scary and exciting all at the same time.  I get butterflies in my stomach like those first feelings of young love.

This will be an adventure of faith and I invite you to journey along with me.  Who knows where we will be at the end of 2016.  I don’t know the destination… and for this planner of a girl, I’m okay with that.  I guess you could say I’ve grown.  In these last two years, and all those years before, He has been working to bring me to this place.

And it’s the same for you.  He wastes nothing and uses everything in our lives to draw us closer to His plan.  He uses all things for our good and brings us to a new place of adventure as we trust in Him.

So what about you?

• Where is God leading you?
• What is He doing in you?
• What “One Word” is for you this year?

Maybe you don’t know the answer to those questions.  Let me challenge you to take some time and ask Him.  Write it down and keep it visually before you.  Focus in and pray it in, around and over your life.  Let Him show you some new adventure that He has for you.

He is trustworthy and He works all things for your good!

Welcome aboard for this new year of new adventure!

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