My Word???!

Not the exclamation, but instead
What word will I choose to focus on in 2009??

A friend from highschool was encouraged last year to find a word to focus on for the year. Like your personal theme of sorts....She has done it again this year and I just think it's a great idea. So I hope she doesn't mind if I steal it.

But I think my word will be SERVE....
I was just discussing this a little bit, late the other night (too late girl...ha!) with my sweet neighbor.

The last few months I have really been struggling with:

what am I doing for God?

What sacrifices am I making?

not just financially, but of my time, my energy, my 'stuff' etc.

I feel like I say I'm 'busy' a lot, but what am I busy doing?

Am I "about my Father's business"
or am I busy doing fruitless empty self-serving acts.

It truly has started grating on me. The day I spent delivering clothes in Honduras...working side by side with those that had been served because they had so little while they served others who had even less has just had even more of an impact on me I think than I ever imagined. I've been all over the world, seen lots of things, been impacted in many different ways, but this one....
Well it's stuck in my brain and deep in my heart. On so many levels. Not sure why this had the impact it did on me, perhaps it's just God's perfect timing.
So this year I want to not just look, but FIND ways to SERVE. I want to make efforts to sacrifice as I've been shown by example to do Biblically and in my life as well. I will start at home:

I want to serve my amazing husband selflessly, not selfishly...expecting nothing in return (ack!) I want to honor him, bring honor to him and lift him up because he is a true gift from God worthy of my service!

I want to serve my incredible children.

that I live each day in awe of. Iwant to do it without grumbling or complaining. I want to wash their clothes, clean their toothpaste from the sink, walls, floor, etc (how on earth did they get it on the ceiling?!!) without getting snappy. I want to teach them the love of God. I want to show them a world where life isn't about how much money you make and how much stuff you have and what kind of car you drive, but about what you can do to serve those around you, to show others you love them and that you care. I want not a day to go by that my family doesn't feel how deep my love, respect and pride is for them and not a day to go by that I don't mention to my children how much their heavenly Father loves them too!

it's a start...we'll see where the word takes me and how well I can do