It’s a new year and time for a new little word. I’ve been thinking about my word for 2019, and I think I’ve found it.
Sow. Not the four-legged kind, but the verb.
Sow…grow…seed…plant…develop…propagate…strew…broadcast…scatter… Hmmm… Yikes! Whoa, there. Don’t be scattered, Denise! That’s been your problem. Breathe. Now focus.
OK, back to my one little word. I choose simply SOW for 2019. Just planting seeds. Let’s see where that takes me.
“Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows.” Galatians 6:7 (New English Translation)
I have spent too many hours watching and reading political discourse over the past three years. What do I reap? Stress. So I’ve decided in 2019 I will start spending my precious extra minutes doing something productive, fruit-bearing, work that will reap rewards.
First, a bit of history: In 2016, I chose the word FIT. I thought I could not only be fit, but also that I could fit everything into my schedule, including watching the trumpster fire that was the 2016 election.
In 2017, I chose SERENITY. I had tried the year before, and I knew I couldn’t fit it all in. I tried to find peace in the chaos.
In 2018, I chose HOPE. I knew our country would come back to its senses and trump’s presidency would end soon. I still have hope; it’s just taking longer than I thought it would.
Now, in 2019, I can be confident to SOW. I can make good choices and plant seeds of important work because I do have work to do:
- We’ve been asked to revise The Genius Hour Guidebook. (with Gallit Zvi)
- I’m taking a journey to fight my complicity in maintaining white supremacy. Thanks to Layla Saad, Jim Wallis, Carol Anderson, Robin DiAngelo, Jose Luis Vilson, Val Brown, and others, I’ve gotten serious in listening, reading, conversing, and joining the work to fight against America’s original sin.
- I have stories to read, learn, tell, and write.
- I have registered to complete a TESOL certificate program.
As you can see, I have important work for 2019. There are seeds to plant so that in 2020 I can benefit from the harvest.
At the same time, I can leave trump to wrap up his sinister sowing, knowing that he will soon be reaping justice. I will trust Mueller, the 116th U.S. Congress, and the American people to do their work. I also trust God, who is not deceived; a person like trump will definitely reap what he has spent a lifetime sowing.
Since I have one more week in 2018, I thought I would test drive my new one little word. I’ve created a spreadsheet to check off each task I work on for any amount of time each day. I hope it will help me stay focused on tasks that will lead to a good harvest. I’m praying my one word will take hold of me this year!