Change, One Word at a Time

 I've never been a crafty girl. Even as a child I hated crafts! I would like to love them, but just don't have the patience to complete a craft. Patience...another post for another day, haha. The only craft I remember enjoying was a plaque I made at VBS. We took this cream colored paper with the verse Proverbs 3:5-6, and burned the edges of it to make it look old. Then we applied it to a piece of stained wood, and put some type of sealer on it. I probably remember it because of being scared I would burn my finger or burn too much of the paper. Fear is always a good memory booster, lol! My Mom hung the plaque in the hall bathroom where it still hangs to this day. Growing up I memorized the scripture on that plaque, as did many of my childhood friends. In fact it was one of the few scriptures I memorized as a child.  I always said it was my favorite (since I had it memorized, convenient). It was something I said that I lived by, but my heart never fully understood what that "trust" word meant. Fast forward to today, January 12, 2013. A new year, a new opportunity to start over, make changes, make resolutions. Can I tell you a secret...all of that stresses me out!! The change, the opportunity, the pressure of it all. I have many changes I need to make:

 Be more patient, experience more joy, eat more healthy, workout more, give more, manage my time better, spend less, save more, organize my house, organize my closet, organize my papers, organize my entire life, teach my kids to be more responsible, dig deeper with God, memorize more scripture, have more quality time with friends, join the circus (just kidding, trying not lose you in the long list, lol!), volunteer more, be a better mom, wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, blah, blah, blah, blab, blab. Now I'm about to watch Miss. America...my list could get longer, haha. 
The list could go on and my stress level could bust through the roof! Can you relate to any of this? We all have areas that need improvement, that we should change, but something about January magnifies all of it in my mind. It magnifies my false need for perfection...something God never expects. I seem to forget that God's love for me isn't measured by the things I have tried to make "perfect" in my life, or the things I do "right". My list of things to change ends up making me feel defeated, and I give up before the end of January 1st. So, the result is no change at all, same life, same issues, same fear, same cycle. Today I was reading a blog called "One Word". You can find it at www.onlyabreath.com. She talks about taking one word and making it your word to live by for the year. WOW, that is brilliant! That seems attainable. This is a goal that doesn't send me to the kitchen eating cake.:) Stress eater...another post for another day, ha. Almost immediately I thought of the plaque hanging in my mothers bathroom. I realized that I still don't fully understand that "trust" word, nor do I live it out in my daily walk. I actually don't really trust people either (never would've thunk it, another revelation for the day, ha). So, my goal for 2013 is to learn what the word trust really means and live it out in my life. I'm sure in the process it will help me accomplish changing some of the other things that stress me out. May I learn to really "trust the Lord with all my heart and lean not unto my own understanding. In all my ways acknowledge Him and let Him direct my path." I'll keep you posted on what I learn. Do you really trust God with your everyday stuff? What would your one word be? Let's stop expecting perfection and accept God's love for us just as we are, burnt edges and all! Then we can walk by faith, trusting God to make us more like him a little at a time, one word at a time!
Learning to trust Him more,
              Kim