Make
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Colossians 3:23-24
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22
Insight
My word for 2022 was MAKE. I chose it because the word involves taking action in any context. Make a connection, make a difference, make something, intentional. I am an idea guy. I love thinking about possibilities and what could be. I doodle constantly and always keep a sketchbook with me to jot down ideas and make drawings of things that could be. This is my comfort zone because, if the idea exists in my head or as a simple sketch, it is safe and there is no danger of it being exposed and criticized. My challenge is moving beyond the idea and making something that can be shared with others.
Looking back on 2022, God used MAKE, in powerful and wonderful ways in my life. Seeing my life and interactions through the lens of MAKE, God encouraged me to take action and risk making connections with the things I do and what I am a part of. I was prompted by the Spirit to be intentional with my thoughts and move beyond ideas and the temptation to overthink and underdo. I was able to act on ideas and projects because I was being encouraged to move into the act of discovery through action. I was pushed to interact with others and share my thoughts even if they were incomplete and imperfect.
I can see how this clearly played out in the time I spent with my family. My daughter is a big idea person like me. I was able to help her this year to make her ideas into reality. I am seeing her draw all the time and she has developed a habit of producing work that has grown stronger as time has passed. My son makes big plans and has trouble staying focused on one idea long enough to move it forward. I was able to help him use how he is gifted to become more intentional with his time and to make actual progress towards his goals.
Beyond these formational aspects, I can see the role MAKE has had clearly every time I look out our kitchen window into our backyard. In the spring of 2022, my wife had the idea of getting an above ground pool for our family to use during the summer. As a habitual overthinker, my mind immediately became overwhelmed with all the details that would need to be perfectly figured out. This can almost be paralyzing for me. I remembered while talking through the idea with her that my word was MAKE, and so even though I didn’t know how every detail would turn out, I stepped into the incomplete, imperfect process of purchasing and setting up an above ground pool in our backyard. And many mistakes were made and we actually had to drain the pool at one point and re-level the yard and we had many imperfect adventures getting the thing set up… but now, there is an above ground pool in our backyard that we can enjoy during the warmer months.
We have been invited to see January as a sketch month. To get curious about ideas and possibilities and see what is out there for us to be a part of. This is an exciting time for me because of how conceptual it is. I am excited about going beyond January now because having MAKE as my word last year, God has changed me and helped me become excited about moving forward and making ideas into realities that can be shared with others.
Reflection
What are some areas of your life where you can go beyond thought and take intentional action in the lives of others?
What is something that you are curious about that you feel you should step toward?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for inviting us to be curious. Thank you for making a world full of wonder that invites us to imagine “what if” and make sketches of ideas for ourselves and for the world around us. Thank you for encouraging us to actively walk with you taking steps of faith towards a promised future in a way we can’t possibly imagine. Help us to take steps of faith today, stepping out in curiosity and moving forward incompletely and imperfectly trusting in your perfecting process. Thank you Jesus for making this possible, Amen.
Warren King, Web and Technology Coordinator, wrote today’s devotional.