#SHARE2015

It's that day. That day in the year when we all seem focused on resolving to be better, do better, do more, eat less, spend less...whatever. And here I sit in front of this stinkin' screen resolving to "blog more." Not because I think people need or really even enjoy what I write, but because it's cathartic for me...and it's way cheaper than therapy. We'll see if this too will fall by the wayside along with my resolutions to lose 30 pounds and eat healthier...

So, for the last three years, I have begun praying for God to focus me on a word as the end of the year approached. A word for me to focus on throughout the upcoming year. A word to help me grow in an area of my life that needs refining.

2013 was the year of FAITH. A year that saw me walk away from a job I loved and had worked dang hard to have. We're avoiding any reuse of that word for a while.

2014 was the year of JOY. A year of making the conscious decision to CHOOSE JOY in all circumstances. A year that saw half of my little town (including dear friends and church family!) lose everything on April 28 as a tornado ripped through our community. A year that took me to the poorest country in the world five times to experience unimaginable circumstances. Um. Maybe this whole word thing is not all it's cracked up to be.

Third time is a charm, y'all. 2015 is it, and God confirmed the word SHARE as my word over the last week. This past Sunday in my Sunday School class, we were talking through what to DO with the Word and one of those things was SHARE, and Bro. Mike's sermon encouraged us to embrace grace - for ourselves and others - in the coming year. It had been the word on my heart and this was the confirmation I needed.

2015 is definitely the year of SHARE.

But first things first. I've struggled a bit with differentiating between GIVE and SHARE. So I went to the wisest and smartest person I know...that handsome guy I get to call my husband (brownie points, indeed!). We talked through it during a few of the 1,467,823 minutes we've spent in the car together over the last week traveling for the holidays and here's what we came up with...

I baked you a pie (Just hang with me, people. This IS totally hypothetical because you and I both know - I don't bake pies!). I could deliver the pie to your house and walk away, and you can do with the pie what you wish. Or, I could baked a pie and invite you over to share it with me. I'll make coffee or hot chocolate or maybe we'll just drink water with it since we've both resolved to eat healthier this year. Regardless, we'll chat for a bit over the yummy pie I baked (It's my blog, I can take creative liberties, people!) and enjoy the pie TOGETHER.

SHARE: to grant or give a share in; to partake of, use, experience, occupy or enjoy with others; to have in common.

Now don't go thinking I'm going to be delivering pies all over the place in 2015, but I do think God is urging me to slow down and enjoy life WITH people more. I have a "slight tendency" to be "a little" task-oriented and focused on completion of a task and moving on to the next thing on the list. What if I slowed down and enjoyed the process of the task? What if I shared in and learned to enjoy the experience of getting there...instead of just pushing to get there?

Maybe I'm way off. It's only January 1, and God may take this whole SHARE thing in a totally different direction. I guess we'll see as 2015 goes on. I'm diving into The Word today to explore some scripture about sharing and can't wait to SHARE what I learn (See what I did there?).

Did you choose a word or theme for 2015? What are your plans for the year? Would love to hear what you're planning for the year!