Word of the Year

I am inspired by this website, http://oneword365.com/ that asks a simple question: what one word can you choose to describe who you want to be or how you want to live or what you want to achieve this year. Scrap new year's resolutions: choose one word that I can focus on every day this new year.

And what is my word for 2012?

Wait.

I want to learn how to wait.

I want to learn to rest patiently before my Lord and wait.

I want to wait on His plan, on His timing, instead of running on my own.

I want to learn to wait before I speak. To be quiet, and not speak words of control on others' lives.

I want to wait on the Spirit, on His leading and His guiding.

I want to learn to be silent and wait. Instead of speaking too soon.

There is so much waiting to be done in this life, yet I am not content to do so. I am impatient when I wait in line in a restaurant, I am impatient to have grades returned to me on time, and I am impatient when my cell phone's service seems to take forever to load.

But even more importantly than that: I am impatient in my relationship with God. I choose to believe I know what is best instead of trusting Him and His timing. I choose to run ahead and try to pull Him along, instead of listening to His warning, "Wait: for my ways are perfect. Not yours."

I choose to speak to Him before waiting on Him. I choose to be loud, to be anxious, to pour out my thoughts to Him before He even gets a chance to open His mouth and share with me.

And what kind of a relationship is that?

This year, I need to learn patience. I need to learn grace and humility, and all of these things are summed up in my learning to wait.