What’s Your Word?

Jan 25, 2023

Each year I select a word to focus on.

A couple I’ve chosen in the past are: surrender, observe, and patience. My 2023 word is “intentional”. I so often just go through the motions without really thinking about the value of what I’m doing. I’m committing to having intentionality in my actions, from listening to the nudging of the Holy Spirit and making that phone call that comes to mind or texting my grandson, Jericho, just to tell him to have a good day at school.

We spent the first week of January in Florida at a couple of the Disney Parks with Brittany and her family, and then Palm Beach Shores with my sister and brother-in-law. I wanted the time to not just fly by, but to be really intentional and attentive in everything we did.

There is a lot to take in at the Disney Parks. You can travel around the world and eat food from each country at Epcot. Simba from Lion King, Dinosaurs, and Nemo and Dory are at Animal Kingdom. During the Finding Nemo show, I leaned forward to watch our 3 year old grandson, Emery, take in all that was happening on the stage. (He was Nemo for Halloween so seeing the real live Nemo was huge for him!) Em’s mouth hung open and his eyes were laser focused on the stage.

I can only imagine what was going on in his little mind watching the story unfold! The wonder of a child’s mind made me tear up. Well, that, and Nemo’s dad finding him! (In case you’ve never seen it **spoiler alert** Nemo wanders away from where he’s supposed to be while at school and gets captured. His father meets a fish named Dory trying to find where he’s been taken. Dory has short-term memory loss and the entire time keeps asking what they’re doing, who Nemo is, and on and on.)

As I’ve journaled each day this month thinking about being intentional in my actions, I wonder how often I’m like Dory and I have short-term memory loss.

Psalm 119:11 says:

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

- Psalm 119:11

Do I live laser-focused on God’s Word in my daily actions? Am I truly being intentional about my actions each day? Am I responding in love? Galatians 5:22-23 says:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

- Galatians 5:22-23

Don’t ignore those words! Instead, ask yourself these questions:

Am I showing love by my actions?
Do I have joy, or do I act more like Eeyore grumbling about everything and everyone?
Do I live peacefully or agitate people I disagree with on social media just to create an argument?
Am I patient when there is a long line at the grocery store?
Do I show kindness to the reservations agent when my flight has been delayed?
Do I live a morally good life?
Am I faithful to my spouse or secretly go to pornography sites on the computer?
Am I gentle with my children and grandchildren, remembering their minds are still growing and developing?
And finally, do I have a self-controlled life, not scrolling endlessly on social media or abusing alcohol or drugs?

Friends, let’s not be like Dory from Finding Nemo with short term memory loss; instead be intentional with our daily actions and live a fruitful life!

By the way, think about choosing your word for 2023 and look at how God molds and changes you! If you don’t mind sharing it with me, I’d love to know!