In January I felt God gave me a word for the year–persevere. When I received that word, I knew it was going to be timely. I had physical therapy ahead of me. I knew a scary full summer was around the corner. I knew I needed to get on the ball with self-control in different areas of my life. Persevere. It was a word I needed (and still need), but one that left me with a bit of trepidation.
After 9 months, I know I needed that word. I know I will continue to need it for at least the rest of the year. I’m pretty sure it will still be timely come January 2012.
I knew I needed to persevere with PT. After a 6 month hiatus and 2 more surgeries, I’m back at it. It feels like it’s kicking my behind a little more than it did last spring. Perhaps it’s because I’m more worn out to start with. I’m not sure. I just know I’m tempted to slough off and not do all I’m supposed to do. I need to keep my word at the forefront of my mind. If I don’t persevere, it’s not going to be pretty!
Another area of perseverance for me was in the area of weight loss. I can’t say I’ve made great progress, but I’ve made some. Every little bit counts, right?
Stewardship? I’m making strides at better using my time talent and treasure for God’s purposes, but there’s always room for improvement. I was going to write more about it. Thankfully I still have a few more months left to persevere in that! So, get ready to read some more on stewardship.
Summer was the last known area of perseverance for me. There were interns to find and teach, a new schedule to adjust to, new curriculum to develop, intern housing solutions to discover, and procrastination to avoid. It was all accomplished–plus some. A few emergency trips to Florida, lots of new kids to learn, spiritual disciplines to tackle, and a perpetually swollen ankle all added to the need to keep going and not give up. In many ways it was a tough summer. In many other ways it was an amazingly glorious summer. Much of that amazingness was due to my five wonderful interns and all the kids we got to work with; all of the gloriousness* was God’s.
What’s your update?
*Yes, I know it’s not really a word. It should be.
Photo courtesy of moosepics/Laura Molnar on Creative Commons
5 responses to “2011’s Word . . . an Update”
Keep on keeping on. I have an appointment for port replacement on Oct. 11 at 8:30 am. For some reason that date sounds oh so familiar….
Love you much,
Mom
My word for this year so far is transition. So much change on so many levels. And I have a punctuation mark instead of a word for the rest of the year…and that’s a “?”. Just don’t quite know what’s next for me, but I am anticipating!
It’s been such a tough year for you, Sheryl. You needed perseverance for sure. And I am glad that God, in all His gloriousness, has provided it. (Yep, it should be a word.)
October 11 does sound quite familiar . . . it appears in all sorts of places like my driver’s license! You keep on keeping on, too, Mom!
Shelley, that is an apt word for you this year. No doubt about it. I’d love to hear how God’s answering that question mark when you get back from India. And thanks for approving my word choice. Two of us agree. It’s definitely a word.
My Soul, I admire your perseverance. I wish I had more too. Right now it’s hard to persevere in hope for this place and this ministry. 3 lovely ladies at Bible study last night, but we’re not touching anyone new. sigh.
btw, the word is GLORY. 🙂
‘ugs
Soul
Oh, Soul. Ministry is like teaching–it has a long reach that you probably won’t ever fully see till eternity. Don’t despair over not reaching new people. You never know the impact of the three ladies you’re pouring into right now. Glory is a good word. Kinda related to gloriousness. 🙂