As we transition into the new year, my mind has been pondering about an appropriate intention or word to guide me this year.  A word has been floating around my heart for some time, so I decided to sit with it for a bit to see if it fits. 

Interestingly, a recent circumstance has invited me to be more still and mindful of my actions, literally.  It seems I strained a hip flexor muscle which has markedly affected my gait and forced me to move into radical self-care mode.  Rather than be angry or fearful of the situation, I have chosen to simple abide in it. 

Yes, this is my word of the year abide.  Seeds of this word were planted at a yoga class during the holidays that invited the practitioner to release expectations about Christmas and simply abide in God’s presence and the wonder and promise of Jesus’s birth story.  During this season we tend to move too fast, squeezing everything and everyone in.  When we do this, we miss the real meaning of Christmas.  As we move on from Christmas, we often feel a loss or a shifting of focus to what we should change, achieve or become in the New Year. 

I have never really bought into the new year, new me mentality, filled with personal expectations that often lead to negative self-talk and a sense of failure.  This year for sure, I am choosing to just abide, abide in my own fears and expectations and to repeatedly choose to abide in the promises and wonder that God provides. 

This verse from Psalm 92 truly speaks to me of what this word means and when allowed can truly live in the heart and guide our lives.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”- Psalm 92:1-2

Take a moment to read this passage again and see if any words resonate with you more.  For me the words shelter and ‘abide in the shadow of the Almighty’ stand out.  As we abide in the shadow of God, I see him protecting us and walking with us through all things.  Just like a tree protects us from the intense heat of the sun, God protects us from all things, even ourselves.  However, we must choose to ‘dwell’ in his shelter.  For me this is the practice that saves me from myself, my fears and expectations.  Simply, abide in God’s presence.  In ‘good time’s this may look like gratitude, in ‘times of need’ this may look like letting go, laying everything down at Jesus’s feet. I recognize that I have no control over most of my worries any way.

Two specific areas that came up for me to work on in my abiding practice are my relationships with my children and my husband.   As most mom’s, I tend to have quite a bit of concern, worry and fear over my children.  Generally, this is way out of proportion to the actual situation.   I have decided to just imagine my two boys also abiding with God, abiding with what ever life brings them.  I trust that any ‘negative’ experiences they encounter are fuel for spiritual growth.  Of course, this is a practice, I will worry, I will fret, but again and again I remember they are not mine and who they truly belong to. I remember who abides with them and me and this helps me to let go.

The other area of focus is my relationship with my husband which has been challenging as most marriages. I have often labeled my husband as negative, passive aggressive and spiritually unevolved.   I think it may be time for me to accept my responsibility in the marriage and try to invite God to abide in this marriage.  I choose to release my judging mind and expectations and try to show up authentically and lovingly for the marriage rather than frequently fretting over not receiving the love I feel that I deserve.  God loves me, I abide in Him and I invite Him into my marriage.

I think it is important to choose a new year’s resolution or intention word that not only enhances our own personal health and well-being but one that enhances the lives around us.  When I choose to abide in God’s presence or simply abide in my life just as it is, (in the protective shadow of God) things just seem more spacious and less problematic and heavy.  I become more of a conduit of God’s grace which helps me to seek and create right relationships and healthier actions. 

I leave you with two more verses regarding the word abide.  Of note the word abide is written in the Bible 118 times, 68 of these references were written by John.  Somehow, this does not surprise me, I have always been drawn to the gospel of John, the disciple that seemed closest to Jesus.  He says this:

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  1 John 4: 12.  I think it is so meaningful and like Jesus himself that John says if we love one another then God abides in us.  He reminds us as he often did it is not always about us it is about how we treat others.  When we abide in Him His love is perfected and we reap the reward, the freely given gift of being with God so then we can perfect this love through Him.  My mom recently shared with me something that came up for her in prayer time, she had a desire to see God and he said to her when you hug another you are hugging me.  What a truly loving and beautiful expression of abiding with God’s love in the world. 

John later says this:  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us His spirit.  1 John 4:13. You see, God did not leave us orphans, we have a loving Father who left his Spirit to abide with us.  We can feel the Spirit not when we are full with the world’s actions and expectations, we feel it in our hearts when we slow down and simple abide in Him.   And my friends, this is often more than enough to shift one’s perspective and to move us moment by moment from our busy minds into the God given love and peace we find in the heart.