My Word

I am in the mountains today.  A short weekend retreat.

My last morning here.  

The sun is peaking out of the rain clouds this morning.

Breathtaking.

This weekend we watched Eat, Pray, Love.

Great movie!

If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.

Finding a "word" for things is a theme throughout the movie.

I threw out a word last night to a friend as "my word".

I did it in he midst of conversation, almost jokingly.

But I have been thinking more about it.

And then this morning as I did devotions, 

I happened to read a blog about this subject.

For the first time ever, the writer had felt God giving her A Word;  "intentional".

Got me thinking more about my word.

"Simplicity"

That is the word I gave my friend last night.

I am not really sure where it came from either.

I hadn't really thought about it before last night.

But as I look back at the few months of my life,

I am seeing that word at work, so to speak, everywhere.

It's as if God has been using that word in my life

and just now decided to reveal it to me.

I am not sure I would have truly gotten it otherwise.

I think I may have a word for my year.

Simplicity.

One definition I read says;

"the quality or condition of being plain, natural or easy to understand"

The other definitions basically say the same in different words.

Then I looked up "complex",

because simple is listed as the opposite of complex.

Complex;

"Not easy to analyze or understand, complicated or intricate."

Interesting isn't it?

Almost wondering what this all means?

For me it's more than just simplifying my life,

although that has been a big pattern in my life lately,

but it's somewhat about how I approach things.

It's just so easy for me to allow things to consume me,

Trying to understand why things are happen the way they do, 

trying to figure them out and solve them.

I worry about me, others, what I am doing, how I am doing, 

and how others perceive how/what I am doing.

I worry about how things will play out, what will happen 

and how I play a part in it all.

That was a big part of 2011 for me.

I sit here this morning, watching the sun break through the winter barren trees,

 hearing the words that I have heard in my prayers

over and over in the past year;

Let Go.

I think it's truly time I do that.

Let go of trying to figure it all out.

Let go of worrying about it all.

And trust that God can do it.

And so I walk into today, into this week

with my word;

Simplicity.

It doesn't mean 2012 will be all easy.

I know that.

But I know God is here.

He is at work.

And he can handle the complex a lot better than I can.

So I will give it all to him.

I will let go and let God

and enjoy the simple beauty he shows in the every day.