I shared last week that my One Word for 2014 is LIFE (as in “Choose Life!”).
I think LIFE is a really great One Word. (Woohoo for me!) I think it’s at the root of following Jesus. I’m not saying my One Word is better than yours! Noooooo! That would be soooo foolish. Like watching a Bachelorette marathon and eating a bag of Oreos foolish.
I love all the One Word’s you’ve shared here that you are prayerfully living into this year. (If you want in on the fun look here or here and add your Word in the comments!). But I also think that a case can be made that whatever word you’ve chosen, it’s about choosing life – the capital “L” life that God made us for.
Ok, I know some of you are reading this in California, or Bali, or Singapore. The palm trees are swaying and you call a day of sweet warm sun and tropical flowers “Tuesday”. Your Word may seem easy and your burden light. You may have a hard time relating to a picture like the one below, but it exists. Trust me. I know it too well.
So when you’re surrounded by death – whether that’s sin, or the death of a season or a dream or a relationship – how do you choose life? Jet off to join the Awakeners in Bali? Maybe not an option for all of us.
The other day Ellen Degeneres said “We have too few ‘woohoo’s!”. We need to say at least two or three ‘woohoo’s’ every day.” Anyone who has ever gotten a text or an email from me knows that I agree! I usually indulge in more than my quota of woohoo’s. John says I live a life of exclamation points and maybe I need fewer.
Here’s what I say to that! In the Old Testament God instituted 7 festivals. He must have felt people needed permission to party. I’m thinking He’s a “woohoo” God.
So here’s my question: How are you “woohooing”?
1. What are you thankful for? Maybe it’s the little things you write down – like frost crystals on a window pane or a chubby baby you see smiling, or a phone call from your mom.
Maybe you’re single and want to be married, but you can thank God for the community He’s put around you. Maybe your marriage isn’t where you’d like it to be, but you can thank God that you’re both committed and working on it. You may not be in the house that you want, but you can thank God you have a roof over your head. You may not be in the job that you want, but you can thank God you are able to put food on the table.
2. What party are you planning? (Remember the Festivals I mentioned?) Here in Minneapolis the stretch between Christmas and…well, the 4th of July frankly, is like the steppe of Siberia stretching out interminably. We have to make up celebrations like “The-temperature-got-above-6-degrees-party”.
Some friends of ours have an Acts 2 party every February when they gather 200 people from the church – a cross-section of young and old, single and married – just to come together and fellowship around good food and the warmth of a fire in the fireplace (yes, they have a large home). At some point in the evening they read Acts 2:42-47. We sing the doxology. We raise some money for those in need. And we praise God for His faithfulness. That’s a party!
3. Who can you celebrate? In addition to a note of affirmation, a text or a call with uplifting words to anyone, here’s something a friend of mine taught me: People who are slogging through dark times, picking up the pieces after a train wreck in their life don’t just need comfort. They need specific affirmation about the brave choices they are making. It reminds them they aren’t powerless. Who is someone making choices you can celebrate today?
Those are just three ideas. How are you choosing life today?
