2021 Word and Verses: FB entry>

2021 Word and Verse

This a long post. I am writing it out here mostly for me as I organize my thoughts. I also like to have my Yearly Word and Verse on my FB page. I would love if you would read the entire post. I would also appreciate any thoughts you have on my Word and Verse of the year. You can write them in the comments. Thanks in advance if you take the time to read and comment. I am blessed to have so many caring brothers’ and sisters’ in Christ💖.

I have been praying and contemplating my 2021 Word of the Year. I narrowed down the field to Balance, Create, Transform.  I was leaning toward Balance, but it just didn’t convey what I felt God was telling me where to head this year. Last year’s word was Rhythm. It was the perfect Word for 2020; a year that was out of rhythm in so many ways for all of us.  I feel God wants me to expand on all that I learned, surrendered and applied to the rhythms of my life last year.  I believe there is more He wants to bring all together in my life.

As I was researching each word I was considering; their meanings, their Biblical application, their relation to my life, I came across a word that I believe exemplifies all that God is speaking into my heart. The word is HARMONY. It seems like a very natural extension of last years word, Rhythm.  I need to take all the rhythms I learned, experienced, leaned into and applied last year and use them to bring harmony to my life, my whole life. 

I believe God made us as whole beings and wants to bring wholeness and harmony to every area of our lives. He wants me to have harmony with myself, with others and most importantly with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The trinity; the best example of the truest form of harmony.

Simultaneously, God was revealing my 2021 verse of the year. I read Romans 12:2 and knew that was the verse.  The Phillips Translation (one of my mom’s favorite translations of the New Testament)with part of verse 1 says; “(vs.1) With eyes wide open to the mercies of God,...as an act of intelligent worship...(vs.2)> Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.” That verse, verse 2, screams harmony to me.  

Harmony in my mind, my life’s activities and my relationship with God and the world. Harmony that leads toward wholeness in God. Harmony with the world, others>social wholeness; by not being conformed to the world, but yet still loving others with God’s love. Harmony in my mind>mental wholeness; God’s remolding of my mind from within.  Harmony in my life>physical wholeness; living out God’s plan and purpose for my life in every area of my life. Harmony with God>spiritual wholeness; livng in obedience with Him and moving toward the goal of true maturity. God’s wholeness is harmony beyond anything we could expereince without Him.  In fact, a definition of wholeness, from the Oxford dictionary, states; “the state of forming a complete and HARMONIOUS whole, unity.” The Vocabulary.com dictionary defines wholeness as; “an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting”. That absolutely describes what God wants for each of us. He wants for us to be undivided, unbroken and wanting for nothing outstide of Him.

The New Living Version (NLT), the translation I am using for 2021, says; “Don’t copy to the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” That certainly simplifies the verse.

The Amplified Bible for Romans 12:2 says; “And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]. That spells it out well, as the Amplified Bible is meant to do.

Harmony in my life, living my life in God’s wholeness is done by applying Romans 12:1; seeing all of God’s mercies, “with eyes wide open”. How many of God’s mercies do I miss because my eyes are not open to them? How many mercies do I miss because I am not looking for them, not focused on Him, out of Harmony with Him?

When I deliberately am looking for and seeing all of God’s mercies I am living in harmony with all God has for me. When I am living in harmony with all God has for me (Rom. 12:2), I am

Committing an act of “intelligent worship” (Rom. 12:1).

LORD, enable me to live out Romans 12:1-2 in 2021 and the remainder of my life. I pray my learning about, living out and listening for your harmony reveals all of your mercies. I pray my studying of your Word, studying the word Harmony, and applying all that you reveal to me is an act of intelligent worship to you this year and the years to come. Amen.