One Little Word...

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Like most of you, I've made my share of New Year's resolutions over the years -- some out of guilt, some out of necessity, some out of sheer stupidity.  They all had one thing in common... they were broken within a month or two, if not a day or two.

Keeping this dilemma in mind, I started a new tradition last year by choosing one word that I wanted to live out in the New Year. One word to remind me of how I needed to change. One word to prick my conscience. One word to inspire me. This year, our entire family from the youngest (age 11) to the oldest (uh-hum, that would be me) decided to choose a word and a scripture verse to accompany it.

As we sat around our kitchen table on New Year's Eve, we each presented our word and verse to the family and put it into a box that will remain visible during the year. Each week, we're going to try to look up another scripture to illustrate our word and maybe even memorize it. My wise husband gave one rule to the family about "the words": We cannot use another person's word as ammunition against him or her. For example, if someone's word is "patient" and they're having an impatient moment, another family member cannot chide the poor impatient soul with "I thought your word for this year was patience!" We all agreed this was a good rule.

My word for this year? Captivated. To be attracted or enthralled by a person or thing's beauty or excellence. At first glance, it may seem like a strange word. But let me explain... Our pastor has been preaching through the book of Colossians for a few months now, and I've been particularly impacted by chapter 3. The first few verses kept speaking to me about being captivated by Christ:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

Meditating on these verses and chapter 3 as a whole got me thinking about how different my life would be if I were truly captivated by Christ and all that He is. If I am captivated by Christ, I will be captivated by heavenly things, not by things here on earth. My priorities will completely change. My needs will become last on the list. I will consider others better than myself. I will love as I ought to love, have a compassionate heart, be kind, show humility and meekness, and be patient (Col. 3:12).

Being captivated by Christ truly changes everything.

One little word. So much meaning.

Lord, I want to be captivated by You and all that You are. You are the most beautiful, excellent, enthralling, captivating person who ever lived -- and died -- for me. Help me to be held and changed by your beauty in 2012.