DARE: My Word for 2018

A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through Instagram (most likely procrastinating studying for finals, ha) when I came across a post from one of my favorite Blessed is She devotional writers about choosing a "word for the year."

(Quick side note: if you aren't familiar with the incredible Kingdom work happening over at Blessed is She, you NEED to check them out. Like yesterday. Their daily devotionals have brought such tremendous fruit into my spiritual life.)

I was unfamiliar with the concept, but after doing some research, I absolutely fell in love with the idea of choosing a singular word to shape the direction of your entire year. I decided that selecting a word would be a wonderful way to motivate myself in the face of new challenges and give me a "grounding point" when unhealthy habits clouded my thinking.

As I began to reflect on the many blessings of this past year and how I want to be more intentional about pursuing God's call for my life, one of the first words that came to mind was "dare." Choosing to be "daring" under any circumstances has always been a little uncharacteristic for me. Making carefully thought-out and well-planned decisions is my forte. If I could minor in Organization and Strategic Life Planning, I would do it in a heartbeat.

But while my planning skills have gotten me out of many a jam, they have also created a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety.

Sometimes I get so busy planning my life, I forget to start living it.

I get so caught up in my idea of the "right" way of doing things that I fail to see the countless unexpected blessings God has in store for me each and every day. Instead of daring to pursue His will for my life, I keep to my own devices, hoping that somehow, my limited vision of what lies ahead will align with God's vision for me.

So for 2018, I decided to dare to let go of my plans for the future in order to be everything God created me to be.

In 2018, I dare to discover the new and exciting, the slightly terrifying and confusing, the sacred and beautiful things that make up God's world. I dare to experience things that are outside my comfort zone, boldly embracing the challenges God sets before me. I dare to become the healthiest possible version of myself --- investing in my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I dare to release unhealthy relationships into God's care and seek friendships that are holy, loving, and Christ-centered. I dare to draw closer to Christ by delving deeply into His Word, by being more intentional about praying for people when I assure them of my prayers, and by taking the time to listen to God's voice speaking through the words and actions of others.

Finally, I dare to love --- to love myself, to love those closest to me, to love my professors and classmates, to love the members of the Church, and to love those around the globe who are hurting. I dare to love boldly, deeply, and without restraint, because we are called to love as God first loved us.

I don't share all this with you to make you feel guilty about what you are or aren't doing for your New Year's resolution. Maybe you don't have a resolution this year and that's perfectly okay.

I share my word with you in the hope that it will encourage you in your own journey of faith this new year. I want you to know that I am by no means the most perfect, holy, or virtuous woman on the planet. In fact, I can almost guarantee that by January 3rd, I will have already failed to be "daring" at least three dozen times. :(

But that's the beauty of New Year's resolutions. Resolutions are all about growth and seeking to align the desires of our hearts with God's desires for our lives. And just as God grants us grace in so many other aspects of our lives, He will grant abundant grace when we strive to draw closer to Him. Sure, we may fail to keep our resolutions from time to time, but that is no excuse for us to give up on them entirely.

Instead of viewing our faults and failures as a reason to give up, we must choose to see them as an opportunity to boldly DARE to try again and to continue to grow to become the women God has created us to be.

I pray that God's grace, peace, and abundance may surround you this day and in the year ahead as we continue on this journey to draw closer to God our Creator and to seek beauty in the storms of life.

With love and blessings,

Emelie xx

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