Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from my family to yours!
Do you choose a power word for each year?I didn't until 2013 when a fellow blogger mentioned it and challenged us all to pick one. I picked strength. I didn't randomly select a word willy-nilly but put thought into it and that word resonated with me. Since then I have picked faith, courage, and mercy. Even though I felt like I was kinda cheating choosing mercy for this year as it was the Year of Mercy, my heart kept being pulled that way so I went with it.
Again this year, I reflected on what is my power word. I prayed for guidance as I can see now that each word I picked held a deep significance for that year in my life. Like this year's mercy. God showered me with mercy and I am doing my best to be merciful to others....and myself. That is the sucker punch. Being merciful to yourself. Oh my!
But I am a work in progress, thanks be to God, and in 2017 my power word will be FORTITUDE.
For some reason, FORTITUDE calls for all caps. It is powerful. It is meaningful. It is deep.
If you just look at it's definition it may not seem all that big. Courage in pain or adversity. Synonyms include such wonderful and amazing potential power words such as courage, bravery, endurance, resililience, strength of mind, strength of character, and more. No not more in itself but more as in more synonyms. :)
I like FORTITUDE for another reason.
FORTITUDE is one of the 7 gifts from the Holy Spirit along with wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord or wonder.
FORTITUDE.
Courage in the face of adversity.
Courage in pain.
Courage when the going gets tough.
On the spiritual side FORTITUDE is often linked to staying strong in the face of persecution. I wondered if I could choose such a strong word. I thought maybe since I was not being persecuted for my faith if I was stepping outside of my boundaries. Going where I should not go.
But prayer kept putting FORTITUDE front and center. Armor yourself, Erica, with strength, faith, courage, mercy, and build something deeper out of yourself and your life. Be who God is calling you to be. FORTITUDE.
This is more than my courage in 2015 even though they are synonyms because I believe focusing on FORTITUDE will take me deeper than being brave enough to step out of my comfort zone. I am ready to follow the path God had laid out before me. I will remain strong no matter what falls my way. I will have faith, I will be brave and merciful, and I will move forward in confidence and joy.
I will not let what others say or do bring me down.
I will move forward and shine the brightest light I can to guide not only myself, my precious daughter, but you too...if you are ready to join me on an amazing journey into 2017, through 2017, and beyond! God willing, we will all rock the boat in the best way possible.
Love and hugs, my precious gems. You are all amazing, loved, and wanted in life.
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the best Christmas gift yesterday. A peaceful, happy house. No fighting. Laughter. Family time. Fun. Thank you, God, thank you ever so much from the bottom of my heart and beyond. Thank you.
Daily Bible Verse: If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.~ John 15:18-19
