One Word For 2011: What Builds Your Confidence? (Soul Resolutions)
*New Faith Barista Series* Today, I'm kicking off the new year with a special series for January: Soul Resolutions.
Share your One Word For 2011 at the end of today's post! Let's start the journey together and see where faith leads.
When you make new year resolutions, do you think of who you are becoming more than what you want to be doing?
Resourceful.
Resilient.
Independent Thinker.
Self-reliant.
You’d think these words were used to describe a company’s ideal employee.
These are the buzz words used to describe a child. Not only would you want these keywords dotting your resume, they are traits that best-selling parenting books say you must program into your children, in order to live productive lives.
Only question is — do having these traits make you a more confident person?
In my case, the answer is no.
Detours and Roadblocks
When I took time out for some whitespace after Christmas, I enjoyed a wonderful time of counting my blessings in the last decade.
2011 isn’t just a new year. It is a step into a new decade.
Looking back, I’ve hit some pretty big detours and roadblocks.
I still remember the word from the year 2000.
Darkness.
Family fallout, ministry burnout, career uncertainty, financial scares and singleness stigma. Dreams crashing.
Guess what. I wasn’t able to avoid any of it, even though I was: resourceful, resilient, independent thinking and self-reliant.
I’ve gained and lost: family, friends and faith.
I’ve come to the shocking revelation: parts of me are fact and fiction (what I think of myself and who I am when the going gets tough).
I can be very afraid of: failure and people’s disapproval.
My body broke down: from stress, pursuing what my heart wanted, with hands that were too full.
My soul broke down: from self-reliance, getting things done and doing things right.
I grew up well according to the buzz words of success. But, I wasn’t spared the journeys through real life: our inner, spiritual lives.
What I Have Gained
What I’ve gained is faith, for every piece of me that got lost.
It is faith in Someone who loves me, who is bigger than me, and calls me His gift.
This Someone is my Abba Father, who scooped me up when I felt abandoned.
This Someone is my Best Friend, who brought me my husband, when I believed love passed me by.
This Someone is my Counselor, healing me with words that went deeper than any dream.
This Person is Jesus, who calls me to trust Him more now.
In my quiet space, as I hold my pen over a new page of life, God is telling me this –
You’ve learned to trust me when hope was a dim speck at the end of the tunnel.
Will you dare trust me now, as I teach you to walk in joy and rest?
Even though you’ve seen how dark it can get and how far the fall may be, will you be confident in me — in you?
Confidence.
My word for 2011 — for this first step into a new decade is — Confidence.
A Different Kind of Confidence
“Confidence” is the underpinning word for my 2011 Soul Resolutions, like joy and rest.
This type of confidence isn’t in my abilities.
It is a different kind of confidence, that frees us to run forward into the new year. With Him.
“Blessed is the man (woman) who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in the Lord.”
~ Jeremiah 17:7
Confidence is translated from the word “trust” in Hebrew as:
“care-free trust” and “boldness”.
You and I, we have a whole new year ahead of us.
Together, we can walk into the doing, as we grow into our becoming.
As you enter into the next chapter of your story in 2011, what is one word God is putting on our heart?
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** Faith Barista’s January series: Soul Resolutions ** Today’s post kicks off a new series. Join me. Let’s swap stories.
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*** NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN — FAITH BARISTA JAM! ***
Faith Barista Jam Thursdays – I serve up a topic of faith, you write the post. Keep faith fresh with a faith prompt and add your voice to this community.
Today’s topic: What is one word God is putting on your heart for 2011?
Share your post by clicking on the blue button below “Add Your Link”. You can also share directly by simply commenting below.
Next Thursday 1/13: How is God calling you to be more confident or bold?
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“Blessed is the man (woman) who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in the Lord.” ~ Jeremiah 17:7
Thank you so much for your scripture on Confidence as well as how you came to your definition. Yes I agree our confidence has to be on our Lord and on who He is. Ah what a joy and privileged to trust in the Lord.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses,
but we trust the name of Yahweh our God. ~Psalm20:7
What a beautiful scripture from Jeremiah you found Faith! Thank you for reminding us to Look Up not Down. He loves us – yesterday, today and forever.
Love to you and yours,
Claire
.-= Claire Vorster´s last blog ..Transformation =-.
You know my one word – JOY. And I hope you also know how much of it you bring to my heart. So grateful for you, friend!
.-= Holley Gerth´s last blog ..How to stop worry from winning =-.
My word for 2011 is change and from the looks of things tonight, they may be changing earlier than I thought.
My word this year is JOY. The JOY of the Lord is my salvation. Seeing the JOY in simple things every day. My father spelled JOY like this:
J = Jesus
O = Others
Y = You
I am encouraged to see the JOY of the Lord in all I do, and scatter that JOY everywhere I go, to everyone I meet.
The year 2011 had a rocky start for my family. Tragedy struck on week one. As I throw myself into the arms of Jesus, I realize that I never want to be anywhere else. In the cleft of the Rock is the only safe place. My word for 2011 is TRUST. Trust in the One who can shelter me in the storm. The storms will come…and keep coming…but Jesus holds us so that only what He allows can touch us.
Hi Bonnie! I am new to your blog and love how it feels here. The words that have been placed on my heart and keep rising are “Be Still.” They ground me and show me that God is completely able and willing. In this stillness I can let go of my own voice and listen for His, letting Him guide and teach me. It requires Trust which was my word last year and I’m still practicing
. It is amazing how these words work together!
My word is self-assurance
“FABULOUS”
I just turned 40…and I will celebrate and get excited that I have been blessed with another year and that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, MY GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!!
Blessings Tina
STRENGTH
My one word that God gave me for 2011 is “plans.” He has good plans for me this year Jer 29:11
I hope it is not too late to add my word, but it is FEARLESS! I have live in fear most of my 50 years…and I want this year to be the year that I put all my faith in the Lord to be fearless and lead the life I want to live and not the life someone else has wanted me to live.
.-= Patty Coleman´s last blog ..THE KNIGHTLY NEWS- Would YOU like to go to Egypt =-.
Purity. Getting the message of being the Bride of Christ down into the core of my being: holy, honored, and loved regardless of where life has taken me.
My one word would have to be Transformation. I’m transforming not only my body (getting healthier, etc.), but myattitude, mind & soul. I want to be the woman of Christ that God expects me to be.
Jeremiah 17:7 is my life verse – - I love it in the amplified version “Most blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in and hopes in the Lord and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.”
Thank you for being such a blessing unto us!
My word is HOPE. I have recently experienced the devastating loss of my 22 year-old son, Andrew, to suicide. I am clinging to Romans 15:13: “May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you TRUST in Him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)
It´s amazing how God is so personal to each and every one of His precious daughters and sons…
As I was reading a lot of the post… I find God´s love is softly sewing his story in each of our lives…
God placed in my heart, three words for me this year… HOPE… TRUST… LOVE…
Thanks for making us share our words, so we can see God is working in all of us!!!
My One Word is: Wholeness
Thank you for reminding me what I learned/realized months ago, that 2010 was the end of the last decade…not the beginning of the new one.
2010 I asked God, persued God, to take from me (my body) ANYTHING that was not working for the kingdom; not producing good fruit. In June I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, an enlarged heart, “a touch” of heart disease (?) and Hypertension. WOW…my mind stopped and God began speaking; you can read ‘My Story’ on my blog if you so desire.
All of 2010 I desired wellness…then God sweetly whispered Wholeness to me…Wholeness. I would end 2010 one of the most important legs of this journey I am on…Wholeness!
Thank you,
Andrea
.-= Andrea Hutchinson´s last blog ..One Word for 2011 =-.
My one word is FIGHT. From the perspective of FIGHT to do what God wants you to do – sometimes that as simple (not really) as getting up early to read and pray. Still struggling with that one.
It is good to have one word to focus on, and apply that to all areas of your life.
My word for 2011 is JOY – which is not the same as happiness. I’m so thankful that my heart and soul can be filled with JOY no matter what circumstances I may be facing.
My word is “boldly”, from Hebrews 4:16. I’ve been living undercover, it seems, hiding the real me to better blend in. Time to approach life boldly, honestly, authentically, as we are called to do.
Hi! I found this a bit late, but i’ll add that my word is “Hope”
Thanks for your words!
This is a great and encouraging blog, and I’m glad I found it!
.-= Merissa´s last blog ..greater things are yet to come =-.
Trust
I heard about this concept of “one word” on KLOVE and now here it is again. My one word for 2011 is fearless. That’s what I would like to be. 2010 was the worst year of my life and there are soooo many things to be fearfull about but I know that the opposite of fear is trust so I will trust in the Lord more this year and fear less.
The word that has been on my heart is “obedience” and it terrifies me. I am fearful of all that that word entails and what will be asked of me in the upcoming year. And yet, I know from past experience and from my faith, that God will always hold me in His hand and carry me even through the growing pains. Thank you for forcing me to face my one word and admit it outloud, so to speak.
Balance. My word for 2011. After reading your prompt, I thought hard about what my response might be. Patience? Gratitude? Health?
I slept on it. When I woke just before dawn, the word “Balance” echoed softly in my thoughts. There it was. I know He whispered it to me . That simple. It makes perfect sense, and addresses so many aspects of everyday life. My life.
Thank you Bonnie, for your inspiration, which I just discovered a day ago, through (in)courage. I will visit often
Blessings to you, your writers, and your readers.
My one word is Speak Up. Okay, two words technically.
Cause I’m afraid to.
Cause I might be heard wrong. Might sound pharasaical or hypocritical.
Cause I am uncertain if I see things right…or am judging wrong.
But I started.
I asked for help for my kid who can’t spell, more than that she has perhaps what you’d call anxiety attacks about spelling…and so I asked for help. Then after the last attack I told her it’s not so much that I want her to be good at spelling as that I want to get her over the “I can’t do it” hump to where she can say, “I can do it, it’s just hard.” So far the request for help has been heard and the process of getting help (from the local public school no less) has been good. Hope.
I’m still quite a bit scared.
But glad to be here.
.-= Beth Werner Lee´s last blog ..update 1-17-11 =-.
Bonnie…i joined really late…but you still had it open…my one word is HOME…in a year where our physical space of home is extremely unstable and we transition to move overseas…it’s the true HOME I’m clinging to…thanks for this!
Fulcrum. That God must be my fulcrum, my support, what balances me and yet holds me firm to him. It was something that my boys learned about this year in our homeschool and it reappeared as I was finishing “HAVING A MARY SPIRIT IN A MARTHA WORLD.” How often do you read a book that has the work “fulcrum” in it. It just stood out to me. Praying for FULCRUM when my days and may faith seem lopsided. Thanks for your posts. They are inspiring.
“Care-free trust.” Love that!
I’m late to the party, but I just have to share my word. Balance. It’s elusive, but I’m on the hunt.
A while back, you wrote about the word confidence being “the underpinning word”.
I so like that expression. I felt I needed such an underpinning for my word. So I have two: “See” and “Confidence”.
A few months ago, I found myself once again frustrated because I had misplaced something. So I began to pray, “Lord, help me to see what I cannot see.” I pray it often now for there are many things in life I cannot see. This is my year to See and my confidence is in the Lord to open my eyes and give me the direction that I need.
Bonnie,
I am just stopping in to share my One Word for 2011. It is a borrowed word from Christy of Critty Joy–FREEDOM. More of a composite really . . . hope/freedom. I may post soon but, just in case I do not get a chance to include it, I wanted to let you know here.
This is such a wonderful idea. It is my hope–my prayer–to find true freedom and peace in Him.
**Also, I left a comment regarding your recipe for fried rice. I would love for you to forward it to my email.
Thank you,
Ginger
My word is JOY.
Nehemiah 8:10b “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” My thoughts were penned @ http://clpcs-betterispossible.blogspot.com/2011/01/twenty-second-post-joy.html
Make the God of grace and peace bring much joy to the forefront of your day (year)…
Blessings,
Carol
“Freedom” Freedom of all that binds me.
my one word – FAITH – I must have faith in him and myself to make it through this year. It got me through the last one. FAITH — I can do this with HIM on my side.
my one word for 2012 is faithfulness. be faithful to the lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins,and forgave us all. for Christ is are salvation with eternal life,love him,beleive in him.