Sometimes Things Click

It amazes me sometimes how God works. Like when you hear the same scripture verse multiple times in the same week, or the right song comes on the radio at the exact right moment, etc. Well, tonight one of those weird-cool God things happened to me. I go the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on ISU's campus on Tuesday nights whenever I can make it. It's been such a huge blessing in my life (another post on that later). Tonight Rose, one of the BCM leaders, spoke on "spurring one another on toward love and good deeds" (see Hebrew 10:24). Basically, on encouraging one another. One of the last points she touched on was encouraging others by sharing your own story. She challenged us all to go to www.MostImportantThing.org - a site where you can share your testimony. I've heard Roger and Rose both talk about this site before and I've always wanted to do it but haven't yet.

But here's why Rose's challenge to share your story was a God thing -

My first OLW assignment (see previous post here) was to make 12 intentions for the year. Here's my intention pages that I created back in January:

So no big deal there - but now take a closer look at my April intention: (and note that today is April 2)

Yeah. I'd call that a God thing.

So here I sit trying to type up my spiritual story. As soon as I can pare multiple pages down to 300 words (a The Most Important Thing requirement), I will post my story on there. And I hope to share the full multi-page story with some of the close people in my life. Thanks for the encouragement Rose!

BELIEVE Vision Board

      The February prompt for OLW was to create a 'vision board.' Ali described is as "a visual intention—a collection of images and words of what you’d like to invite into your life." So I busted out some canvas, paint, mod podge, glimmer mist, and stickles and went to work. I collected images from a couple different magazines as well as some I printed out from Pinterest, and I cut two images on my Cricut to use. On went the paint, then the mod podge, a medium I have never used before. Can't say that I love it; I don't like how it makes the paper crinkle. Since I knew it would turn out that way from looking at Ali's example I was okay with it. Once I got everything glued down, I sprayed some glimmer mist and make some stickle shooting stars. 
      I also wrote a verse my friend Caleb has been talking about lately - 2 Timothy 1:7 "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." It seemed to go right along with my word and my intentions for it. Some of the images relate directly to my word: cross - believe in God's promises, mirrors - believe in myself, fantasy/mediaeval dress - make believe. Other's are just one's I found that I like. All of it combined makes an interesting visual for my word.
     Here's the finished board:

Goodbye 'GO,' Hello 'BELIEVE'

This will be my third year participating in something called "One Little Word." I first learned about it on Ali Edward's blog, and now I'm taking her "One Little Word" class via Big Picture Classes for the second year in a row. So what is OLW? Here's some thoughts from Ali herself:

"A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow. From my own personal experience, it can be a catalyst for enriching your life. In 2006, I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January—a word that I can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. . . These words have each become a part of my life in one way or another. They've been embedded into who I am, and into who I'm becoming. They've been what I've needed (and didn't know I needed). They've helped me to breathe deeper, to see clearer and to grow. It can be something tangible or intangible. It can be a thought, a feeling, or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word—this is YOUR word. One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities." - Ali Edwards, taken from the OLW 2013 Workshop Page

Each year I make a necklace
with my word to be a
constant reminder.

It's a really interesting and often revealing process, this OLW. Last year, my word was 'GO.' When I started the year, I thought for sure that meant physically going (namely, to move out of my mom's house). Well, here I still sit, so that certainly wasn't what happened! It mostly ended up being about two phrases: 'Let Go' and 'Go Back.' Let Go - of all the hurts of the past and of everyone else's expectations for me. The only expectation that matters is God's. Be willing to trust God's control and plan for my life. Go Back - remembering what made me, 'me' in the first place. Especially the creative me. I had a nervous breakdown several years ago and have been struggling to regain both my self-confidence in me as a person and me as an artist since then. Also, remembering why I believe what I do and relying on the promises of God. Are either of these phrases complete in me yet? Certainly not! But I think they are stepping stones that God is helping me to work through - so that I can physically go and move on to the next stage of my life. So 2012 ended not quite how I planned, but with more self-awareness than I've ever had before. 

So, so long, 'GO' - and Hello 'BELIEVE.'

My word for this year is 'BELIEVE.' Right now, it mostly means believing in myself, and 'make believe' - awakening my creative spirit. Who knows where this word will take me by the end of the year. I look forward to the journey!