SWEET REMINDERS

Oops, some got eaten already!

Some friends gifted us at Christmas with a specially-ordered box of chocolates. Instead of flavor names, each piece was labeled with a fun word. My husband, knocked by a recent serious illness, chose one labeled “longevity.” I'd tried hard to keep upbeat through it all, so picked “charm.” Yum, those few seconds of chocolate bliss while we chewed and swallowed!

On second thought, though it would have tasted the same, I thought I should have gone for “wisdom.” I This past year I needed that quality as we navigated so many medical emergencies. But read on....

I know some Christian writers who choose a “focus word” for the year. One is Lucinda Secrest McDowell, of Connecticut, who has written several books packed with short chapters that focus on the spiritual meaning of one word at a time. Her “Ordinary Graces” and “Dwelling Places” (both Abingdon Press) are often-reread treasures in my bookcase. Every year she has a “focus word” that just makes sense for the way she anticipates spiritual growth and deepening.*

Another similarly gifted and word-sensitive writer-speaker is Grace Fox of the Vancouver, Canada, area. She and her husband, who are also support staff for an overseas mission, live simply on a moored boat. That type of housing can have its disadvantages—like how dampness from a prolonged rainy season recently filled their cramped floating home with mildew. And that prompted her to choose “Restore” as her word for 2023 to focus on her need of physical and “habitat” restoration.*

As 2022 ended, I started thinking about what—besides “wisdom”--God might be building in my life. Of all things, the word “humble” came to mind, along with the drawings in E.B. White's delightful childen's book, Charlotte's Web. Most folks know its story: of how a clever spider named Charlotte spun webs with words spelled within the crossing strands. Seeking how to save her barnyard friend, a pig named Wilbur, from slaughter, she spun “some pig,” “terrific,” “radiant” and “humble” above her barn friend before she herself died.

Like the Bible's Solomon, I could have chosen
this label, but another pricked my heart.

Except for “some pig,” I wouldn't mind any of those labels myself. But the word “humble” snagged my heart. I thought of 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourself, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

In my earlier years, the words “achieve,” “surpass,” and “exceed” might have described me. I graduated from high school in the top ten of my class of more than 400, plus was the orchestra concertmistress. I was a college newspaper editor and graduated magna cum laude. I finished a master's degree “with highest honors.” Several books and hundreds of magazine articles carried my byline. But there comes a time in spiritual growth when these labels take on a different perspective. Those achievements weren't mine to fling around, but occasions for me to acknowledge my dependence on the Lord. To humbly acknowledge that without Him and His smile, any of the world's glitter and honors are meaningless.

And so, in 2023 I will put the word “humble” at the bottom of my computer screen. It's a word that will roll around in my heart all year in my continuing journey of living for Him.

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Here are the "word of the year" blogs mentioned above:

MyWord for the Year is in Hebrew – Lucinda Secrest McDowell

How Does a Yearly Focus Word Help Us Grow? | Grace Fox Ministries