Today I am linking up with the One Word 365 Community. This is something new for me, and I am excited about doing something different. One Word 365 is about finding one word to apply to your life each year, every day, all year.
Wow - narrowing it down to only one word has been a challenge. I have mulled over the possibilities for a week and still today I was not sure. I was settling on "aware" - aware of others around me, things that needed attention, time to spend with family, opportunities to grow, chances to minister - the list could continue.
I was pretty sure "aware" or something similar was to be the word I would claim for 2012. Then, in my study and reading this morning I found a chart which listed character traits to work with develop in and with your children*. (As any parent knows or soon will discover, you tend to work on developing a character trait or habit in yourself just as you are seeking to teach your child.) First on the chart was "alertness: knowing what is going on around me." OK -- that settled it alert - aware they seemed to be in the same general category. So, my word for 2012 - Alert. ("Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love." I Corinthians. 16:13-14)
Now how exactly does that flesh out in daily life? What is the definition of alert and how am I do apply that. To discover this is my self assigned homework for year 2012. As the year progresses, I'll report what I am learning and how I am being affected.
* The chart I refer to was compiled by Jill Savage and is found in her book, My Heart's at Home (pp. 94-97).
