My one word

I heard about the "My one word" movement on Klove.  I participated last year.  Instead of having New Years resolutions, you pick one word that you want to focus on throughout the year in order to have a better life.  Last year's word was "abundant".  When I chose that word I was hoping for an abundant blessing from God, that my job situation would go from dismal to abundant, that our house would go from mostly empty to abundant, that my time with Josh would go from not so much to abundant.  Throughout the course of the year I am pretty sure I wouldn't have told you I was feeling abundant but as I look back now I know I am abundantly blessed.  In 2010 Josh and I had 5 months on the same shift.  Unless you have a spouse on an off-shift you can't understand what a blessing it was to have normal, regular time together.  To get up around the same time, eat meals together, and go to bed at the same time was an awesome blessing and it was an abundant gift from God.  I know that God blessed me abundantly in leading us toward the decision to adopt and helping us make that leap of faith.  I know that God has blessed me abundantly by giving me the love of many people and the opportunity to know and love Him.  2010 was a year of many disappointments but having a focus word to take the focus off of myself is good.


2011 is a new year and it requires a new word.  Please forgive me if you think this is cheezy but my one word is ADOPT.  I know, I know you all know that I'm adopting children from Ethiopia and in reality the process probably won't end this year but I looked up the definition on dictionary.com and I found that there are several other ways that this word is relevant to my hopes for 2011. 

World English Dictionary

adopt 

— vb 

1.  law  to bring (a person) into a specific relationship, esp to take (another's child) as one's own child Yes, we are adopting 2 children that God has already chosen for us, I don't know them yet but one day I will see their beautiful faces.

2.  to choose and follow (a plan, technique, etc) I am also adopting a healthier lifestyle.  I'm doing pretty good at this so far and hope that this is like the one above a lifetime commitment.

3.  to take over (an idea, etc) as if it were one's own I am going to try to have Jesus' attitudes in life instead of worrying or fretting.

4.  to take on; assume: to adopt a title Hmmm... not certain on this one but I might just be adopting a new title when I get a new job which will happen at some point this year.

5.  to accept (a report, etc) I am accepting what life gives me, the blessings and the temptations and living for my God.

[C16: from Latin adoptāre  to choose for oneself, I think it's kind of beautiful to think adoption of children is choosing for myself to build a family from optāre  to choose

So hopefully you don't think that's too dumb.  What's your one word?


Romans 8:23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, [ Greek wait anxiously for sonship.] including the new bodies he has promised us.