Serve is the Word in 2018

Okay guys.  I seriously dropped the ball, or should I say...entire basket of fruit on my 2017 word of the year.  I had every intention of being SUPER intentional and focusing on a different fruit of the spirit each month, diving in deep and learning what God had to say about each one...but I didn't.  (I still hope to do this at some point because it really is one of my favorite passages of scripture, and I know it is filled with so many truths, pointing to many different passages and themes in the bible.)  I went a little to crazy on that one, so I will be dialing it back this year and focusing on one single word...one single truth: SERVE. (Just kidding...I had been working on this before God spoke to me about adding another word...but I'll get to that)

I've mentioned before that some years, I have had to really search out what God is speaking over me where these words are involved (like this year's 2017 word coming in at the 11th hour), and other times it is as clear as can be for weeks (even months) ahead.

But this year, this word is different.  God has been speaking this word over me and to my heart for almost an entire year.  We were barely into 2017 when I began to hear Him nudging me to this years word: SERVE.  As we studied through John last year in BSF, one of the lessons about how Jesus SERVED stuck with me.  Over the past year, I have repeatedly seen Him highlighting this area in my life.

**I fully anticipated having one single word to focus on this year, but when God speaks...you listen! ;) So December 30, during the course of a conversation, someone quickly mentioned the word SURRENDER.  It didn't strike me too much at the time, but the idea behind what she was discussing stuck out to me and was something I knew I needed more of in my life (as in surrendering to my husband in marriage the way we should surrender our life to God).  And then...December 31...final hours of the year, I heard it again.  This time it was in a song, "I Surrender All," that was playing on the radio while I was driving.  I have felt as the Lord has led me before, and I knew he was doing so again.

So this year, while there are two words, I feel like they definitely work hand in hand, and as I learn to surrender to the Lord and His will for my life, I will serve Him out of the overflow of my love for Him. Surrender + Serve.

Here's the song I was listening to as I clearly heard the Lord telling me to just SURRENDER to Him in 2018.  So here I am, at the beginning of this year with my hands open, held out to Him, expectant of what is to come, knowing that He will cover it all.