“You’ve got this.”
Words spoken by my dear bloggy friend, Alece Ronzino.
I’m deeply grateful for Alece. Her heart is felt deeply in her words that she shares so eloquently with the world. I admire how they are a catharsis to her, and in turn, so many others – like myself. And upon reading the words she scrawled above in a recent post concerning the wrap-up for this year’s OneWord campaign , it caught my attention because of another dear friend of mine who is like the sister to me.
“I got this” is a phrase I catch her saying at times…one, in the past, I’ve often found my heart bucking because such words can heavily weigh on our hearts to the point that we’re tempted to take them so literally into our hands…in turn, we lose sight of our mortality.
“I got this” has the opportunity to strip us of the grace offered to us in life by an ever-loving God, because we then withhold the very thing He wants from us so He can bless us in the ways He needs us to be blessed. In turn, we cut ourselves off from living the life He needs for us to live.
However, “I got this” can also be so pregnant with potential for Him to also work in our lives. For if we embrace the strength He gives to us, we do “have it” – well, we “have Him” – and once we take such a leap of faith, life is never the same.
This is what I learned this year concerning embracing my “OneWord” for 2011 – connect.
I learned that in choosing this one word, I found my life hasn’t been the same since. For through merely choosing this word, I opted to make a commitment to God, and myself, to discover so much more than I ever knew before in, and through, it – and ultimately, Him.
Connection is more than merely meeting someone…it’s literally engaging in a dance that needs to happen in our lives as human beings. We’re created to be relational to one another, not obscure as our American society is so apt to fall prey to. Not for the sake of satisfying our own fleshly desires for human contact, but to learn how to dance this dance of life with God – in relationship with Him.
I’m deeply grateful that during my first year of blogging, I’ve been blessed to connect with Alece. For within only a handful of days, not long after the first of this year that now swiftly…yet slowly…comes to a conclusion within a matter of a couple of weeks now, I stumbled upon her blog to learn of this campaign. I doubt I would’ve connected to life, and in life, the way I have this year had I not heeded the silent whisper in my heart to commit to this one word.
I’ve ascertained through this word that relationships (not just knowing people) are vitally important to our lives. God needs for us, and created us, to have them. Yet, He doesn’t need to have us have all them. He simply needs for us to have the ones He declares healthy in our lives – and He gives great, beautiful signs to give such loving direction.
There’s quite the protective boundary concerning God and His children if they only live within His safeguarded, loving and graceful parameters – ones I’m ever so appreciative for; for without them, I would’ve easily, foolishly conceded. For healthy, connected, relationships are the very glimpses He needs for us to see what it’s like to be in relationship with Him.
I’m looking forward to what OneWord God lands on my heart for 2012. I have a notion as to what it is, but I’m still praying about it. After the first of the year, I will post my new OneWord 2012 – and ardently look forward to what God does with it throughout this blessed year ahead.
Check out Alece’s OneWord2011 Wrap-Up and be sure to connect with her if you’d like to participate in this upcoming years OneWord. You can also connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
