STEADFAST – Part 2
Today’s post includes summary thoughts about STEADFAST, the word I believe God gave to help define my upcoming year. Also, an announcement, so I hope you’ll keep reading.
Faith is the bridge between where I am and where God plans to take me.
(A great quote I found while cleaning my desk. Scribbled in pencil on a scrap of paper, I failed to cite the source.)
The final day of 2024 and the first few days of January, I was able to carve out time to work through a process called The Great Annual Examen – An Exercise to Look Back, Look Within, and Look Forward by Stephen Smith. It was well worth the time and effort.
It was during this time STEADFAST surfaced as the word I needed to carry with me through 2025. Discovering slightly different definitions, the one which resonated most was from dictionary.com and said simply, “steadily directed.” I knew immediately I desired to be a woman who is steadily directed to practice “whole-soul wellness” (physically, emotionally, relationally, intellectually, and spiritually) in a STEADFAST manner.
During the next eleven plus months, I will be discovering what this looks like. Just this morning, I began my devotional time in a prayer posture known as “palms down; palms up.” I begin with palms down on my lap indicating what it is I want to give to God. I hadn’t thought about it beforehand, but the word “striving” emerged as that which I desired to relinquish.
Much of my life, it seems, I’ve been “striving.” Striving to be responsible, to do what I imagined was the “right” thing to do. Striving to be good. Striving to be liked. As I type these words, I sigh and think, “How pathetic is that!”
When I turned my palms upward this morning, indicating what I wanted to receive from God, it was STEADFASTNESS. “Striving,” I imagine is not a verb that pairs well with STEADFAST!
I am excited to continue discovering more about how the Spirit wants to teach me to understand and develop a STEADFAST soul!
ANNOUNCEMENT!
Even before I landed on the word STEADFAST, I decided I needed to streamline my schedule for a while to allow more time to focus on pain management. One way in which I will do this is take a sabbatical from writing the Listening on the Journey … blog. Not an easy decision because I love writing and connecting with so many of you who are faithful to read my twice-a-week-musings.
Today’s post will be the final one for a few weeks. Currently, I plan to start again on April 21st, which on the Liturgical Calendar is known as Easter Monday. Until then, I’ve made a note in my journal to be STEADFAST in praying for each one of you. If you ever think to pray for me, I will consider that a very good gift!
Note: Today’s photo is from the impressive St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
Blessings on our continuing journeys,
