Revisiting My One Word

In January of this year, I wrote a blog post about a new approach I am taking to the old “New Year’s Resolution” tradition (you can read about it here).

Since we are officially halfway through 2011, I think it’s a good time to check-in and evaluate how the “My One Word” concept is going.

The word I chose to represent what I wanted (and what I think God wants) for my life this year is RELEASE. I remember praying about it, and ever so softly hearing the word being spoken into my soul.

I also remember being excited about it, eager to “let go and let God”, anticipating freely and easily letting go of things that for so long have held me in bondage. I had visions of surrender, freedom, peace.

As time has passed, I have come to find that RELEASE is a hard word. It’s a scary word. And most of all, it’s a necessary word.

RELEASE means

you have to let go of some things that you love,

because you know in your heart of hearts that they are not good for you

RELEASE means

you have to trust that God knows what He’s doing,

even when things seem to be crashing down around you

And ultimately RELEASE means that WHEN you TRUST...

WHEN you LET GO...

You will see it all begin to unfold…

Right when you think your heart is breaking into a million pieces, He is beside you lovingly picking up all the pieces, holding them in His hands, patiently waiting for you to look up and surrender.

And when you look up, you will see Him do something amazing.

He will open His hands that have been holding those shattered pieces, and HE will RELEASE your mended, whole, beautiful heart…free of all those things that once held you back.

So, yes…RELEASE is HARD; RELEASE is SCARY; RELEASE is NECESSARY; and in every sense of the word RELEASE is FREEDOM!!

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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

~~2 Corinthians 3:17