One evening last fall, we arrived home to find every single door of both our home and garage unlocked.
Our family had been out-to-eat, returning full and tired, when we drove up and found the garage door open.
That’s really odd, I thought. A short and cautious tour of the house (because yes, I tend to think there’s a robber in there somewhere), led to the front door, the back door…
…our guest room door, the side garage door, our double french doors – well, you get the idea…Every. Single. Door. was unlocked. This has never happened before. All of these are often double-checked before leaving our home.
To this day, we still have no idea just what took place!
After making sure our home was truly secure and scaring off the invisible robber, I found myself rather shook up by the whole thing. That’s a normal response, but I could tell something deeper was going on.
As I pondered just what, a flood of thoughts came rushing.
This is exactly what you need to do, the still small voice inside spoke up.
YOU need to open up your life.
‘I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life…The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way…Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively.’
This is 2 Cor 6:11-13 from The Message with my underlining added in.
These Scriptures hang above my desk as a reminder to what this year will be about. My ONE WORD for 2014 is: Wide-Open (aren’t hyphenated words just ‘one’ :))
What will this mean for me?
Ask me in 12 months because I don’t think it’s completely clear just yet!
However, I DO believe this year will involve a healthy dose of risk and a pushing even more out of my comfort zones.
I think 2014 will ask of me…
BOLDNESS. COURAGE. SACRIFICE. and INCREDIBLE TRUST.
I say this because I’m hearing it, seeing, praying it, and reading it all around me.
It’s as if everywhere I go, all the songs I listen to, the Scriptures and biblical accounts I’m reading, the people who encourage me, and the God who speaks in each of these ways are all shouting:
OPEN up your life! – Go. Move. Now.
It’s funny. I don’t fully understand what this will involve, and yet there’s excitement bubbling. I’m content to allow the vision to unfold before me as God leads.
So – here I go! Wide-open.
:
How about you – did you adopt a theme or ‘one word’ for the new year?
Love your word. The word that crys out when I read your word is authentic. However, my word is Joy. Simple but hard. I allow life to steal it from me too often. I am embracing joy this year through the struggles and pain and in our triumphs.
Must be going around…it reminded me of this post I read just the other day…talking about some of the same things
http://www.handsfreemama.com/2014/01/20/one-bold-move-two-healing-words/
Thanks Debra for sharing that post – interesting read, and definitely one of the ways to live wide-open. I think God will prompt me those areas, and probably others as well. Should be a great year! 🙂
Absolutely beautiful! What a simple outstanding message! I have been practicing ‘opening my hands,’ palms up, to receive all things. You can’t possibly be receptive with your hands clenched in a ball. When I am stressed, I simply open my hands, reminding me to open to God. All things are possible with God.
I have 6 words and have been reflecting on this since the first of the year, which words have strong pull and meaning for me:
Intentional
Growth
Patience
Kindness
Purpose
Courage
Thanks for sharing and opening up a part in/for me! Just labeling things ‘intentionally’ has opened me up today!
Thank you!!!
My word is kindness. It is so lacking everywhere I go. Maybe if I am intentionally kind this year I can influence others to be so also.
A few months ago our pastor preached on going where God wants you to go and do and at the end he said that if you really mean to submit and go then the first step is to get your passport. That was so eye opening to me because you cannot go where he wants you to go outside of the USA unless you have it. And I need to do just that.
We had a break-in at our owned in partnership vacation house. I have never felt quite comfortable there since and we were not even the ones to find it.
I like how Christina and Lana’s focus on kindness stands out — yes, this is much needed in our homes and in our worlds. Thank you both for sharing!
I had JUST found your site and felt compelled to reflex and comment… then I took a look around. Beautiful! I love it here! I also totally spit my coffee out when I read about you and all about being intentional! Wow, I was meant to find you yesterday and am grateful to be blessed by your words!
I agree with kindness… it’s the biggest ‘need’ in today’s world. If we all took it upon ourselves to be kind to every single person we meet… our world would be a different place.
A quote I saw in The Love Dare for Parents:
“Patience is how we diffuse something negative. Kindness is how love initates something positive. One takes a deep breath, the other breathes out life.”
Glad to stumble upon your much needed words!
Peace to you Daniele!
Welcome Christina! So glad you are here…and it’s always a blessing to find a kindred spirit, isn’t it? 🙂 Grateful something here blessed you. Thanks for the quote too – I really like this. Grace to you!
Throughout the great pattern of thnigs you get an A for effort and hard work. Where you misplaced me was on all the specifics. As people say, the devil is in the details And that couldn’t be more correct at this point. Having said that, permit me reveal to you just what did work. The article (parts of it) is certainly incredibly engaging which is possibly the reason why I am making the effort in order to comment. I do not make it a regular habit of doing that. Second, even though I can see a jumps in reason you come up with, I am definitely not sure of just how you seem to connect your details that help to make the final result. For the moment I shall yield to your point but trust in the future you connect your facts much better.
I thought this was wonderful. I think the fact that you were “open” to making and seeing the connection to what transpired physically (the open doors) to what God is calling you to do spiritually says a lot.
I just noticed this was written two years ago. Just discovered it now. Thanks for sharing! I look forward to seeing more of what you have to say. God bless!