word for 2015 | s h i n e

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am always so excited for a new year, that feeling of a fresh start.

Of course, there are plenty of little goals swirling around in my head right now and I am sure even more will come to mind over then next several days, but instead of sharing those scatter-brained thoughts, I am just going to share the "theme" I've chosen to focus on for this new year. I always love to choose a broad theme that can be a central focus as I make goals & plans throughout the year. As I choose, I always try to think about what the LORD has been teaching me, mostly through His Word. That way, I am choosing something meaningful for me yet basic enough to focus on through all of lives unknowns... So, each new year I choose a word and Bible verse to focus on!

My word for 2015 is  S H I N E

I am a lover of light. I love the way the sun during golden hour makes all things shine. As a photographer, particularly of things in nature, light is everything. It is the most important element in all of my photography and it always inspires me. I guess that would have been reason enough to choose "shine" as my word for 2015. But it goes even deeper than taking a pretty photo... I really decided to choose this word because of several Bible verses that were coming to mind over the past several days and months even. It kind of started back when I designed this print. Anyway, there are so many great verses with the words "shine" or "light" that it was hard to choose which verse I was going to chose to be my focus verse. So really I am going to be meditating on and memorizing several of them over this year.

My verse for 2015 is  J O H N  8:12

{Jesus said} “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”

My main goal this year is to believe Him on a deeper level... To deeply believe that He is a great and mighty God and that He is able to do far more than I can imagine. Naturally I am an introvert, which I don’t think is all bad, but I think I have often allowed it to make me more fearful and timid than He wants me to be. BUT Jesus came to this earth and conquered death, so I can have great hope in Him.

I have His light in me, so I am called to SHINE for Him.