This year, I am going to focus on pursuing things I love. Of course, I tend to do that anyway, so these resolutions are going to sound familiar. Lately, though, I've been wondering what exactly I love about them. Growing up, I was that child that was always asking, "Why?" So, at the risk of being even more of a navelgazer than I already am, I've chosen three things that I love and intend to pursue more passionately in the coming year and, in doing so, hopefully will discover more about how they fit into my life, the world, purpose, etc.
1. I love words. And I am not alone in this. We give words so much power that they often seem to have a mind of their own. Barring natural disasters, every memorable thing that has happened in history started by someone saying something. I am awed and humbled (and sometimes a little terrified) by what words can do.
There are a few practical ways that I can pursue this love. The obvious two are reading and writing. As mentioned sometime last month, I am choosing ten books a month to read (thoughts on last month's reading and the list for this month coming soon to a post near you). I also want to be more intentional with my writing. I want to write something every day. I want to have one of the things I'm working on ready to be submitted for publication by the end of the year.
I also want to listen more. I get to hear a lot of stories in my line of work, but I want to pay more attention. I also want to use words more wisely. I don't know how to do this yet. I don't know what it will look like. We'll see.
2. I love feeding people. I was going to say, "I love food." But that's not really true. I mean, I like food. I enjoy it. But if we're just talking about food and me? I have pretty simple tastes. Left alone, I could live quite happily on soup, sandwiches, cereal, popcorn, and the occasional bean burrito. The thing that I actually love about food is how it connects me to other people and the world.
I like trying new recipes so that I can share them with other people who are looking for alternatives to their standard fare. I like having people over for dinner (maybe - MAYBE - even more than I like going out for dinner. Maybe.) I like knowing where my food comes from and that the people who grew it/made it were treated and paid fairly for the work that it entailed. I am concerned about people who are not blessed with the ridiculous bounty that I tend to take for granted and would like to do more to end this injustice.
3. I love justice. I love it when real equality triumphs over mere lip service. I love it when the work people do actually yields the security their work merits. I love to see wrongs righted and people restored to wholeness. I love a God who proclaims that mercy is justice. And I will never be satisfied with a world where these things are out of the ordinary.
More on this later.
I hope that your 2012 is full of promise and happiness!
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