Discipline: One Word review for 2013

One article I read said to “…look up by asking God for your word and listening. Don’t stress about your word. Receive it from your maker.” In looking back over 2013 I realized that even after getting the word, I didn’t need to stress. My Maker knew exactly how to orchestrate events to bring about the growth I needed in my OneWord365 of DISCIPLINE. Most of it happened in community, being inspired by or initiated by people in my life.

The first I wrote about in a previous blog where a friend’s Facebook post inspired me to download a gratefulness app. What a great discipline that’s been in beginning to retrain the neural networks of my brain. Partway through the year, I began to read and digest Ann VosKamp’s book ‘one thousand gifts’. She says this discipline only comes with practice and that it is a practice of the eyes. The remedy for ingratitude is in the retina. We don’t have to change what we see. Only the way we see. So basically, she’s saying that while my situation may not change, the way I view it will change as I practice being grateful. It’s been fun at times to work at entering all that I’m grateful for into my app. At other times it’s been a struggle to see something to be grateful for in the midst of difficulties. But I love how my mind is beginning to note these things and get excited about remembering to enter it onto my daily list.

Secondly, in March a friend asked me if I would do a Whole30 clean eating time with her. Since being unwell from 2006 to 2008 my body had been letting me know that there were certain foods I could not handle well anymore. While I tried to stay away from those foods, this invitation from my friend was just what I needed to discipline myself in these areas. The mutual support and encouragement helped me stay on course. I chose to stay on the Paleo eating plan even after 30 days because I do so much better on it mentally, emotionally and physically. I see it as a way of life. (Since I do better emotionally on this plan it has also helped me in my gratefulness discipline.) For the past month I’ve gotten a little off plan but have gone back to strict clean eating as of the beginning of 2014!

I’ve also been disciplining myself to go more to God’s Word, the Bible. I’m thankful to be attending a church where the Pastor regularly directs us to it and where Bibles are provided for those that do not have one. If I’m reading a book or a daily devotional it’s easy to skip over the scripture references. I so appreciate good writers but going directly to those biblical references helps me to hear directly from God in the area that the author is writing about.

There are other areas but these are the key ones that have contributed my growth in Discipline this past year.

Now, on to my One Word for 2014...