You Have My Word

Hi readers!

I want to apologize for my absence last week...I hate making excuses, especially when there aren't any good ones...but let's just say this week was crazy!  Why was it crazy?

Three words.  Midterms.  Auditions.  Birthday.

To answer your questions: Yes, I survived my midterm exams.  Yes, I made it into the ensemble for my school's spring musical.  And yes, I turned another year older.  Enough of that already, though...we've got some serious blogging to do!  :)

I would normally do two separate posts for all the topics I want to write about today, but since I skipped a week you're just gonna have to hold on to your pantyhose and bear with me!  So you're probably wondering  (as am I) why I haven't blogged about my love of all things theatrical yet.  I sit here thinking (dangerous, I know) "How are any of your readers going to understand you if they don't understand you?"  Okay, readers, I think we ought to get something straight.

I HAVE NO LIFE.  (Other than theater.)
I do not play a sport.
I (no longer) practice a musical instrument.
I am not in any clubs or organizations.
You may think it sad, and it may very well be, but I'll have you know (so you won't worry needlessly), in my world THEATER = LIFE.

Now that we have that cleared up I feel that I can move on with my blogging, though in the future you should expect to read a lot more about my theater life because I cannot express my love for it in so few words as I did today to spare you of one of my many long and annoying theater rants. (Sorry Mom, Dad, brothers, and close friends for all those hours of your life you will never get back!!!) :)

Okay...onward.
If you can recall a couple weeks ago on my last post (or if you read it below), I said I would be posting again soon (LIES!) about my "One Word" for the year.  I also told you to read "graceland" to learn about this "One Word" concept since I am not going to explain it.

Well, I pondered and pondered and PONDERED about what word I would choose.  Then I wrote my candidates out on index cards and I pondered and pondered and OBSESSED.  Then I carried them around with me, looked at them, said them.  And I just could NOT decide.  New words kept popping into my head day after day.  But nothing struck me.  At last I thought I had settled on FREE.

Then I tossed and turned and was set on FAITH.  Cliche.
I searched my heart and tried to just "let the word come to me".  I thought I had pinpointed it at last - TRUST.  Alright, I said.  I'm ready to blog about it - ALLONSY!
Then last Sunday morning when I sat in Sunday School discussing with the rest of the class, we started talking about something that just struck a chord in me.  Somewhere deep down.  And it kind of stung because it felt like one of those times when someone is brutally honest with you, and you know you can't be mad because they were so devastatingly RIGHT.

I'll admit, it's actually two words (I know I'm such a cheater).  But when I stopped running around in a frenzy and over-thinking (me, over-thinking, imagine that!), it was so blatantly OBVIOUS what God was trying to tell me.

LIVING SACRIFICE.

What did God tell us?
Did He not say to us:

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged; for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"For it is better to suffer for doing good; if that should be God's will, then for doing evil."

1 Peter 2:17

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess His name." Hebrews 13:15

To be a LIVING SACRIFICE to God and to His people is something that is so distant and foreign to our society, even as Christians, that we forget about it and neglect it.  God gave us the ultimate sacrifice - His son.  The least that we can do is LIVE for Him.  He calls us to REJOICE in our sufferings!  REJOICE!  Because we are facing trials for HIM - trials so SMALL compared to what Jesus went through FOR US.  WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS.  

So I chose this as my "One (or two) Word(s)" for the year because it is our calling above all else.  To be a LIVING SACRIFICE.  And I am sincere and earnest about living it out.  So please TELL ME about your "One Word(s)" for this year!  Let's join together and encourage each other in them!  The more people you tell, the more people can hold you accountable!  I'm counting on you to hold me accountable!  Don't let me forget. :)  

So let's go. Let's here your WORDS.  

My inspiration: THEATER. OUR CALLING. OUR GOD.

...Love, Anna...