January 11, 2013

A Word + 3 Scriptures for 2013

Happy New Year! Every single time January 1 comes around, it feels wonderful. It's a clean slate, a fresh start, a chance to have a whole new year filled with memories, moments and the ones we love. I love that I always feel an extra bit of hope whenever I wake up to the New Year, and this year is definitely no different!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday celebrations. As I type this out, I know that tonight I'll be getting dressed up and heading out on the town with some of my friends to dance the night away. It's going to be a night to celebrate and remember and I absolutely cannot wait!

But the point of this post is to set the tone for my 2013.

Words have always been an important part of who I am, mostly because I like to write and I love to talk. It occurred to me, as it must have occurred to many others, that I should choose my word for 2013. After much deliberation, I've finally picked the perfect one.
My word for 2013 is adventure.
Why? I want to treat each and every single moment like it's an adventure. I want to remember that life can be extraordinary and special, even when it appears to be routine on the surface. And I want to inspire myself to go further, to do more and to chase after more of my dreams!

But, apart from picking a word, I also found verses from God's Word to accompany me this year. I want to use these verses as building blocks and guidelines for the journey that lies ahead of me.
1 Corinthians 1:7-9, MSG: Just think - you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
Romans 8:15-17: This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us - an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!
1 Peter 1:18-21: Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately - at the end of the ages - become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

13 Comments:

  1. Oh! This is good. When you speak of the new year and it being full of hope, you remind me of Anne Shirley, when she said her quote about "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." (I may be a little off, I didn't check that for accuracy.) That's how I've always thought about new days, new weeks, and new years too. I love it.

    Also, I looked up your verses in the ESV and NLT translations, for comparison. I love to do that. I especially love the one you chose from 1 Peter. So great. This is lovely, Alexa! I'm glad you posted it. Such a great start to my morning. :)

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    1. ANNE SHIRLEY FOR LIFEEEEEEEEE.

      And yes, I thought the same thing about your comments about the new year. I love all the hope and optimism!

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    2. Thanks! I needed to remind myself, and now I'll always have something to look back at when I check on the blog :)

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  2. Beautifully written, Alexa! I think 'adventure' is a very good word and a great promise to the new year. I always look forward to starting the new year as well, because no matter how good or bad the previous year was, I love the idea of starting fresh. And I love the 1 Corinthians verse. I hope you have an amazing year :)

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    1. Thanks! Adventure is a good word for me this year, I think, with all the big things coming up. I hope your year is just as amazing!

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  3. I love the new year, as well. Though it's not really much different from the year before, looking at it as it new start always makes me feel so refreshed and excited. Adventure is a great word! Looking at everything in life, even the mundane things, as an adventure is a great perspective.

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    1. Me too! I think New Year is just a change of mindset (so it could more accurately be new YOU). I feel like I get to start over :)

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  4. I love the word Adventure for the year. I really hope that your year is full of it and that you take full advantage of everything the year has to offer you. I do love that every new year offers up an almost clean slate. A new year, a new resolution, a new you. :D

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    1. Thanks! Here's to all the adventures 2013 has to bring :)

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  5. I love finding quotes in scripture that really speak to me ... I'm glad that you found some to pertain to your year ahead! And adventure sounds like a great theme. I know you'll do it well! :)

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    1. Thanks Kristilyn! I hope you have an amazing year as well <3

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  6. I already comment on Asheley's comment about hope and optimism, but I also wanted to add that I love all of the verses you chose but the Romans verse is my favorite of the three. The "We know who he is, and we know who we are" is probably my favorite part. So good, Alexa!

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    1. Thanks Hannah! (I love Anne, by the way, because she's awesome!) And I'm so glad that verse resonated with you :)

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