My One Word For 2016: Release


A very sad thing happened to Rudolph on the way to Christmas dinner.  He lost one of his antlers on the freeway. "How can this be?" You ask. Well, it all started when my mother-in-law rolled down the window...well, actually, it started when I purchased a red nose and antlers for my KIA. Silly. Yes. But fun. And these days I'll take all the fun I can muster up. But my fun didn't last long, because when we picked up Don's mom on Christmas, she didn't know the rule about not rolling down the window. So, there I was, perched in the back seat balancing the scalloped potatoes and flowers and salad and such. In a split second - woosh! The antlers flew onto the freeway. Oops. Sorry about that. 

 I've been praying for the past couple weeks about what ONE word God wants me to focus on in the coming year. Last year my word was HOPE. I've been sensing that in 2016, He wants me to focus on the concept of RELEASE. Letting go. Setting free. Giving up.

I think that my antler loss was another hint. It's like letting go of a balloon and watching it fly away. I need to do that with my burdens. I need to give them to God and truly leave them in His capable hands. Not praying and then grabbing them back in my tight little grip. All that does is keep me in emotional bondage to my worries. It's like the story about how to trap a monkey by putting a banana inside a coconut that is chained to something. Supposedly, the monkey slips its hand inside and grabs the banana and won't let go. I'm not sure if that really works. But I do know that holding on to my worries keeps me chained down. My prayer for 2016 is that I can loosen my grip on the banana and let go.  
Psalm 55:22 - "Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you..." Lord, please help me to do that in the coming year.  Amen.

Comments

  1. PattyDecember 30, 2015 at 5:38 AM

    Well I just left a big long comment then realized I was signed in as Patty A under the prayer team email...so my current word for the year starts with an "F". No not that one, but rather "false" post or "fail" or "fiddlesticks" : (. Maybe my word should be "do over"...wait that's two words. Oh, I need practice with this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SharonJanuary 1, 2016 at 5:31 PM

    Loved this post with your antler example. So good for all of us to consider.
    My word for 2016 is discipline...it doesn't seem as fun as yours. I got back in line and the Lord handed me the same word. So here we go Lord. I'm looking forward to what God produces in new disciplines!! What His will is for 2016

    ReplyDelete
  3. NursemaryJanuary 1, 2016 at 7:40 PM

    Love the visual and the monkeys. I do feel like God sends me signs that I don't stop to read. My word is wholeness as in: having all necessary parts : not lacking anything
    : not limited in any way
    : not requiring more work : entirely done or completed. That's what I pray I will become in Christ.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adam's Tree

Image
Somehow, I mustered the courage to open the box and peek inside. Deep breath, Mary, you can do this. One by one, I unwrapped the ornaments from their tissue paper cocoons and hung them on the branches. Of course, the floodgates opened. Baby’s first Christmas – 1991, a baseball – 1997, computer wizard – 2005, red convertible – 2007, holiday camping tent – 2009. They are gifts from my mother-in-law, “Grandma Connie,” who bought each of the kids a yearly ornament until they reached adulthood. The eclectic collection used to hang on the family tree all together, but when the kids grew up, I separated them into their own boxes so they could take their treasures with them.   What should I do with Adam’s box of ornaments? I wondered. Val suggested I decorate a small tree with them, which seemed like a good idea. That is, until I opened the box. I’ve learned in my support group that we cannot go around the pain that is grief, or over it, or under it – we must go through it. Alan W
Read more

The Things We Pack

Image
I gazed out the window of our cruise ship cabin. Grey-blue waves seemed to stretch out infinitely over the horizon. We were 700 miles from San Francisco where we’d departed, headed for Hawaii. Tears welled up in my eyes, fogging up my glasses.  Why am I so sad? I should be enjoying this vacation, not pining away at this window.  But I couldn’t help it. The ocean view was just a visual reminder of the endless grief waves that keep crashing over me. Even though it’s been a little over eight months, they just keep coming.  Will they ever stop?  The grief books assure me they will eventually slow down. I sure hope so! Back in the fall, we planned the late-January vacation knowing that the holidays, followed by Adam’s birthday two weeks after Christmas, would likely leave us drained. We were right. As we packed the Sunday before, I asked Don, “Do you think there will ever be a day when we don’t think about losing him?” “We’ll never stop thinking about him,” Don said. “But
Read more