This year, 2023, represents two words for me: “stay faithful”. Every year I have a word to focus on, which keeps me accountable on what I want to work on for that year.
Last year, year 2022, the focus word was, “vulnerable”. For me, this meant, processing pain and not avoiding it, asking for help when I needed it, sharing my testimony/journey of faith publicly and utilizing my physical body to it’s best (i.e. running my first half-marathon).
A New Year
For 2023… I scramble to come up with a new word… like… “risk” or “try”. Thinking about pushing myself even further in what I dream of doing. “But before I get ahead of myself,” *I write in my journal*, “maybe I should pray and ask God first of what HE thinks my 2023 word should be…”
“Stay faithful” – immediately came to mind.
Simply, daily, without pressure to be perfect, stay faithful.
What does that mean? It means, responding to the daily convictions of the truth of the gospel. Wherever I am, however busy or mundane my day is… I stay faithful to God. In my decisions, actions, thoughts, words, and behaviour. I choose to seek Christ not culture.
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
Stay faithful even under the pressure to “stay relevant”.
For me, the pressure falls more on my eternal call as a Christ follower and less on my earthly call as a woman. One where society might say, “work harder, be skinnier, make more money, increase followers… don’t you dare wear those skinny jeans anymore… etc”.
Fear to perform for man (people) makes me feel inadequate, not enough, and/or less than. Whereas faith to perform for Christ makes me feel at peace, hopeful, enough, qualified, because it is HE who does a work in me. He keeps me faithful, so I can stay faithful.
Stay in Christ
My word(s) for 2023 is: “stay” – “stay faithful”… in whichever emotion, feeling, situation, circumstance I am in. I’ll not allow the fears of WHAT IF overtake my faith in WHO IS. Jesus Christ my redeemer, Saviour, one true God, teacher, counsellor, creator, healer, and miracle worker. I choose to “stay” in him, who has overcome sin in the world.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1 John 5:4
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