Drum roll please… my focus word for the year is PURPOSEFUL. Which means:
- Having or showing determination or resolve
- Having a useful purpose
- Intentional
The Purposeful, Purpose Driven Year Ahead
As I thought, prayed and journaled about what I would like to see happen this year, it didn’t take long to see that I was feeling ambitious. There was a lot that I wanted to accomplish in my personal life, writing endeavors and entrepreneurial pursuits. It was going to take a plan, perseverance and focus to get it all done.
Based on the comments and emails I have received from you over the past few months, I received confirmation that I was headed in the right direction. Your feedback has encouraged me and fueled a desire to have a greater positive impact and a more purposeful direction.
(That word purposeful, it kept showing up, I couldn’t ignore it.)
The desire to have a positive impact comes in part from a desire to encourage those who are stressed out, struggling, or overwhelmed. Which I attempt to do here on the blog via written word and in sharing the beauty of God’s creation through photography.
In the midst of all these thoughts a plan was starting to take shape and ideas started to form. This plan even inspired a new tagline for Selah Reflections:
“Finding Stillness in the Midst of Life”
These words spoke volumes to me. It gave me a clearer focus and a stronger purpose for this site. It will influence what I write about, the subject of the books and journals I plan on publishing and the products I plan to create this year. It also is a message I can share with those who are stressed out, struggling, or overwhelmed.
My word showed up again as I realized that in order to find that stillness we have to be purposeful in how we:
- Manage our energy
- Work and rest
- Eat
- Exercise
- Simplify our calendar
- Declutter our home
- Care for others
- Care for ourselves
- Spend our money
- Grow spiritually, emotionally, and mentally
It Takes Purposeful Actions to Find Stillness
We live rushed lives. We live lives of fully booked calendars. We live lives with brains about to explode with to-do lists, information and ideas.
Finding stillness in the midst of life is difficult, and on some days seemingly impossible, but oh so important.
Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God”.
In the book of Isaiah, God says through the prophet, “…in repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength”.
During his ministry here on earth, Jesus purposefully stepped away from the crowds to find quiet places to pray and fellowship with his disciples.
In Psalm 23 it says “He leads me beside still waters”.
Stillness is there, peace beyond our understanding is available, but we tend to get so busy, running here and there, that we do not hear the words, “Be still”.
Life is busy, there is no way around that. Life is hard. But, there is also beauty in the midst of it all if we are purposeful about slowing down long enough to see it. There is stillness to be found in the midst of life when we are purposeful in seeking it out.
I’m by no means good at this! So much of what I write about here on the blog are things I need to learn. I think that is one of the reasons this word purposeful and the new tagline were given to me.
Find Your Word – Find Your Purpose?
I do think that by picking a word to focus each year, we get clues about our purpose and about what God is trying to teach us.
Find your purpose. It sounds so simple doesn’t it? It’s not. It takes work, it takes trying something new, it takes prayer and it means taking the next step, in faith.
Today’s Challenge:
Take a purposeful action to find stillness in the midst of today.
Marta Goertzen is an entrepreneur, writer, WordPress Website developer, and nature photographer. She daily explores the trails and beaches of the South Central Oregon Coast with her dogs Oliver & Mochi. You can follow along on their adventures on Instagram. Marta also fully believes that change starts with gratitude and that gratitude can change everything. Find out how with the “Grateful Friday 7-Days of Gratitude Starter Kit”