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2012~

~A year I waited in anticipation for, beckoned to hurry and get here,  yet was somewhat fearful of as well.  Finally being able to finish the most difficult year of my life, pressing on to a renewed hope in 2012 and beyond.

2011 brought much pain, but also brought a new awakening of who I am and WHOSE I am, who I am supposed to be…

After reading Ann’s post What the New Year Needs Most and naming your year, I have been pondering this. My life has been so blessed by Ann and if you haven’t visited her, please take some time to do that. You will be so glad you did.

 

What do I want in 2012? Where do I want to be when 2012 draws to a close?

 

I want to be renewed.

 

I am christening 2012 “A Year of Renewal”. I want to be renewed in mind, body, and spirit.

I feel that so much of me has been lost in 2011, that the year was a waste. But that is not true and that is a thought trap that I need to get out of. 

I have grown much deeper in my faith, I have learned things about myself…good and bad. I have learned that I am in need of a much deeper walk with my Lord. I have learned that I am blessed beyond words.

What does it mean to renew?

 

  1. return to doing something

  2. extend something

  3. replace something worn

The definitions speak what I want.

I want to return to home of peace and create a haven for my family.  I want to find my home that became chaotic last year.  I am leading the 31 Days to Clean Challenge to help me stay on track. 

I want to extend and continue the quiet time that I have become more intentional about.  I have failed so often.  Times of stress, anger, questioning have often caused me to run away from my Father instead of to Him.  I know that my days depend upon Him and wonder why do I often let this most important part of my day slide?  I am doing the Ephesians study with the Good Morning Girls to help me with this. 

I want to replace something worn with something new~ it is time to get past the pain others have caused our family and move on to something better.  Time to let go of the anger, shock, hurt, disbelief and replace it with peace, grace, gratitude, trust, joy. 

I am going to focus on doing this by reading Ann’s book One Thousand Gifts and taking the Joy Dare.  Won’t you join me?

I want to renew my body through healthy eating and starting back on my T-Tapp routine.  I became sloppy this past year and had the sickest year of my life.  The emotional drain took a toll physically.

 

I have also chosen  a Word for the Year~ “Intentional”.

 

In order to have “A Year of Renewal”, I must be intentional and deliberate.

Intentional in…

  • my quiet time
  • my marriage
  • training my childrens’ hearts for the Lord
  • my home
  • homeschooling
  • my health
  • my time
  • my relationships
  • my blogging

It is my prayer that through my quest to be renewed and intentional, I will be able to touch your lives in some small way.  I am honored that you have chosen to take a few minutes out of  your busy day to visit me.

Have you chosen a word for 2012 or named it? Have you made special resolutions for this year?  Please share with us.

Blessings,

Mary

 I’m linking up with: The Better Mom, Homestead Barn Hop, These Five of Mine plus Two, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Growing Home, Raising Homemakers, Walk With Him Wednesdays, Far Above Rubies, Your Thriving Family, Time Warp Wife, Women Living Well
Mary Clendenin

Mary Clendenin lives on the family farm with her husband and 2 sons, whom she home schools. She enjoys farm life with her guys, gardening and making memories with her family. She loves to help others learn how to live a healthier lifestyle, learn about natural remedies and how to do business at home. Mary believes that home and family is your first ministry and a legacy that will live on long after you are gone.

20 Comments

  • I love the word “intentional”! It’s my prayer that we are an ‘intentional’ family and mission-minded. Thank you for sharing. 🙂

    • Mary@ The Encouraging Home says:

      Thank you, Heather, for stopping by. I pray that we all can be intentional in that. Imagine what the world and future generations would be like?

  • Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace says:

    I love your focus for this year! I pray the Lord will take you deeper into His mysteries and grace.

    My word is surrender. I am so prone to control, but it leaves no room for God. I want to see God’s power and might this year. I want to see the impossible. It won’t happen if I keep getting in the way.

    Look forward to a new year with you!!

    • Mary says:

      Thank you! I love your word for the year. I could have used so many…maybe I need a word each month?

      I pray that you will be able to see God’s power in your life as never before.

      Looking fowrad to journeying through this year with you and my sweet blogging sisters.

  • Kasey says:

    I love the idea of having a year of renewal! Many of the things the Lord has placed on my heart that need better focus are the same as yours. The word I chose for this year was “Healing”. This encompasses so many areas of my life!

    As a side note, I just received my order from T-tapp and am starting today. I ave always done high-impact, high-energy aerobics, but my health won’t allow it right now. I am hoping for wonderful {and healing!} results from this program!

    • Mary says:

      Thank you, Kasey, for stopping by. I love your word for the year…”Healing” could have been my year as well.

      I hope you enjoy T-Tapp…I do and it is crucial to my health to do it. I have met and worked out with Teresa Tapp at the retreat twice. She cares about her T-Tappers. If you don’t see evidence on the outside right away (but you probably will), be assured your body is healing from the inside first. I am going to start a series about T-tapp on my blog, as soon as life settles down. I know it will help keep me on track. Let me know if you have any questions and be sure to join the forum.

  • I absolutely loved this post. Today in my devotions I was reading a passage from 2 Corinthians 4 and verses 16-18 stuck out to me: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us a glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

    Thank you for being an encouragement to me today!

    • Mary says:

      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Thank you for encouraging me with this passage…so what I needed!!

  • Oh, may the dear Lord renew us all and draw us to Him. When we serve Him intentionally as beloved disciples, miracles happen, renewal and inner change happens. It is contagious! BTW, I love the header with the bright and cheery colors. So alive…like the Word of God. blessings!! Mary, I came looking for a link-up. Do you have one?

    • Mary says:

      Thank you for coming by,sweet Jacqueline. You are always so kind and encouraging. Thank you…the blog design has been a bit of a mess, but I think it is finally settled.

      I haven’t started a link-up yet, but will be starting one soon.

  • Jenni says:

    Beautiful words to live by this year!

  • Glenys Hicks says:

    Great post! I hope to live intentionally this year as well. Blessings, Glenys

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  • Jasmine says:

    It is also my prayer to be renewed. A fresh wind of the Holy Spirit.

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