Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me. John 15:4 Voice
I was a disappointed when I first felt impressed that my word for 2017 was ABIDE. Last year’s was much cooler – or so it seemed at the time. You see last year was SOAR. I was challenged to leave behind all that was comfortable and take some big leaps of faith. I traveled extensively and fulfilled some of the vision for my life. It was an exciting (and exhausting) time.
As I look at the Greek word for ABIDE I come up with many nuances that hold tremendous potential and possibilities for the coming year and beyond:
- Remain or stay in one place
- Enjoy as I grow in endurance
- Continue to be present
- To be held or kept
- Survive, thrive and live
- Remain as one
- Stay constant without changing or becoming a different person
- Wait
One of the greatest challenges in my life is to finish what I have started. In theory, this should be much easier when traveling but it just doesn’t seem to happen. Several doors seem to be closing for me and it is time to stay in one place long enough to accomplish them.
There are things that only I can do and I must choose to dedicate my time to fulfilling them. It is time to stop putting my projects aside in order to assist others. Serving is wonderful, yet can keep you from your own assignments.
There will be more posts on this topic as I listen carefully to what ABIDE means in my life. I am looking forward to the wait in silence and a deeper flow of His life in Me. It may look like nothing is happening on the outside but much is flowing and growing.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the reminder that activity for its own sake is not enough. I choose to listen more carefully to Your voice in the midst of it all. I quiet my heart to receive the flow of Your strength and insight. I press in to the enjoyment of Your presence in the solitude and quiet times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world. Her books will inspire you to embrace hope no matter what you are going through.
