One Word You Don’t Want To Miss (One Word )

And each morning I arise, … eager to tackle my to-do list. It’s purpose is to allow me to glorify God in my daily tasks. Yet in my focus on doing, I often miss Him: His mercy, His grace, His love, His countless moment-by-moment gifts. 

When we focus on doing, we often miss God: His mercy, His grace, His love, His countless moment-by-moment gifts. Click To Tweet

It’s certainly not intentional. My drive to meet my obligations simply gets in the way of glorifying God. I forget to delight in the moment. To savor the gift of now the Lord has given me.

Last year it happened. As I persevered in what I deemed to be God’s calling, I drove forward. Staying the course and fighting through, even when I felt like quitting.

Yet, my striving burned eyes blind—no longer able to see the glory of God in those moments—the hard ones, the long ones, the routine ones. Slow now to notice His beauty, His blessings poured out on me through it all.  

Instead of Striving, Learn to Thrive

It became about the striving. And I made progress. 

But where is the delight, joy, and contentment of a life lived in Christ when it’s only about striving? And how am I reflecting the Lord to others when I miss seeing Him? 

Where is the delight, joy, and contentment of a life lived in Christ when it's only about striving? Click To Tweet

A life lived in Christ is about abiding not performing. But sometimes the striving gets in the way of the thriving. 

A life lived in Christ is about abiding not performing. But sometimes the striving gets in the way of the thriving. Click To Tweet

Yet, tell me this, what good is striving without the thriving? 

What good is it to amass great wealth yet squirrel it away so it benefits no one? 

What good is it to vacation on a pristine beach if you never set foot on the beach itself, gaze upon the water, or listen to the surf? 

What good is it to drive to view a magnificent mountain range at sunset if you never open your eyes to actually see it? 

What good is it for me to move forward in ministry in the Lord if I never give myself time or permission to notice Him or His blessings? Where is the glory in that?

One Word: Savor

 verb
: to enjoy the taste or smell of (something) for as long as possible
: to enjoy (something) for a long time

Thanks to Melanie at Only A Breath for the 1 Word 2014 template this Savor image was created from.

This year I’m following after something different. Oh, I’ll continue to persevere. (After all, I had a year of practice.)

But this year is about delighting in my life. Savoring it. Finding joy in my work, my family, my environment, my Lord.

Delight in your life. Savor it. Find joy in your work, your family, your environment, your Lord. Click To Tweet

This year is about seeing the gifts camouflaged in those moments. 

Noticing the blessings of the little things: that steaming cup of Chai tea; peppermint marshmallows; the glory of a brilliant red sky; the chuckle of my daughter; the caress of a soft breeze; the warmth of home and love of family. 

I’m not fooling myself. Given my driven personality and propensity to being critical, savoring each day won’t be easy. So, I’ll continue counting gifts in Ann Voskamp’s Joy Dare, and I’ll implement little changes:

• First, the one word: Savor. Plaster it on the walls, wear it around my neck, write about it.
• Next, Bible verses, first-morning rituals, periodic reminders, grace. Little steps leading to abounding joy.

I want to live all the days of my life, beginning with yesterday. To delight in the gifts of the Lord as He delights in us. To spread the sweet fragrance of Christ each and every day.  

With God’s grace, I’m committed to trying. And by His grace I’ll hold onto that one word easily missed in the dailiness of life: Savor. 

“But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:14–15)

Reflection: How about you; how do you delight in each day? Any suggestions for small changes to help us all savor our days more? I’d love to read them in the comments or feel free to post them on my Facebook page. It’d be wonderfully encouraging to join in community and share how we savor each day and glorify the Lord in the process. 

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