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My One Word for 2014: Alignment

By Anita Mathias

one_word_alignmentThis the first year that I have chosen One Word for the year.

“One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live.

One word that you can focus on every day, all year long.

Your one word will shape not only your year, but also you. It will become the compass that directs your decisions and guides your steps.”

I had thought of choosing “Nothing” last year, as in “The Son can do nothing by himself.” (John 5:19) or “By myself, I can do nothing,” (John 5:30)—but it seems a bit too “Click on me” and attention-seeking, like a trick One Word.

My hope was that I would do nothing—not choose a holiday destination, blog topic, activity, or conflict, without checking in with Him. But perhaps it is providential that I never did write that post, for I have failed. J

* * *

I played with a couple of words this year. Exponential, a word inspired by Idelette who describes it: Not one plus one plus one. 1 + 1 + 1 but the zing of multiplication.

Oh, Lord, I thought: I want that, I need that, in my writing and in my life.

I could write so much more than I do. I could lose so much more weight. I could use my time so much better. I need your wind in my sails.

* * *

The other word I wanted and desired was “acceleration.”

Then I thought of that Ignatian question, “How do these words make me feel?”

Short answer: Tired.

Nope, they were not for me. The updraft of the Holy Spirit was not in them.

They were fine as prayer requests, as free gifts from God, but not as goals.

* * *

So I choose another word which is the real, true desire of my heart: Alignment.

I visualise God as a waterfall tumbling with good ideas. The ideas we need to blog better, to run a home or business better, to get healthier or parent better are found in Him (a bit like the Room of Requirement in Harry Potter, but one for good ideas). I want to bring my mind, spirit and imagination in alignment with him.

I see Jesus as a very kind person who knew how to love. I want to bring my heart in alignment with his.

I can be full of nervous energy, bursting with ideas, plans, dreams, schemes and ambitions. I want to bring these into alignment with the dream He has for me–for He has a dream for me, just as I have a dream for each of my daughters.

He is wisdom. I picture his wisdom as a straight golden ray of light, like you sometimes see on sunny days in Oxford. I want to step into that ray of golden light, in alignment with him.

All of us do, achieve, produce a fraction of what we are capable of, and a fraction of what we want to because we fritter away our energy on ideas, activities and plans which are out of alignment with who we really are; with the dreams and ambitions we have for ourselves; and the destiny our Heavenly Father has in mind for us.

I want to submit what I write, where I travel, what I buy, what projects I take on to my Father’s wisdom. I want them to be in alignment with his ideas.

I want to slow down, to live deliberately, in Thoreau’s phrase. Ah, that would be another nice resolution: “I will live my life slowly!”

* * *

One last reason I want to be in alignment with God: He is truly a waterfall of ideas. When I am still and quiet and listen, ideas and creativity flow, more ideas for blog posts than I have time to write.

When I am tired, I feel a bit insecure, too middle-aged, not disciplined enough, not energetic enough, not well-read enough.

When God’s people tell him about their inadequacies, he does not bother to reassure them. (Some of these things may well be true!!)

He has another solution.

* * *

 This was Jeremiah’s response to his prophetic call:

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’

9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.” (Jer 1 6-9)

Alignment: When God puts words in your mouth.

Or as the Lord reassured Moses,

“The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:11

For that, one must be in alignment.

* * *

When we are in alignment, God helps us speak and teaches us what to say, and a blog post or essay or talk which could take hours or days can be done rapidly, and is exponentially better too.

Exponentially better, exponentially faster, exponentially more—the only way I know to bring off any of the above so that the very thought does not weary me is:

Alignment.

So Lord, take 2014. Make it an amazing year in my life, the best so far. And let me live it in alignment with you.


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Filed Under: In which I explore the Spiritual Life, In which I surrender all Tagged With: Alignment, One Word 2014

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Comments

  1. Michele Burke says

    February 11, 2014 at 12:52 pm

    Hi Anita. Just found this post and although it is February it is not too late to choose a word for the year. I always have an action sentence for each year so I boiled my 2014 sentence down to the word Focus. With so many distractions in life I must continually remind myself to keep my focus on Jesus. To “live deliberately” requires remaining focused on the reason we are on this earth. Thank you for the post! I feel better equipped with my 2014 word which will be strategically posted in my house. God bless!

    • Anita Mathias says

      February 11, 2014 at 6:12 pm

      Focus: What a fantastic word. I really need it–I am sure it would save me a dozen hour or more a week!

  2. Claudia Dahinden says

    January 13, 2014 at 8:21 am

    Great idea, Anita, to concentrate on one word/idea! I thought about that after reading your post, and I came up with an expression in three words that sum up my attitude to 2014 (and my love for “Star Trek”): “To boldly go!” I’ll selfpublish my first book and CD in May, and for this process, the marketing and everything included, I need all the boldness I can get – “to go where no man (are at least not me) has gone before” 🙂 Thanks for your inspiring post!

    • Anita Mathias says

      January 13, 2014 at 10:46 am

      Yay.
      I love your phrase.
      Here’s another verse for you (and me) “Do not be afraid.” (Luke 12:32).

      • Claudia Dahinden says

        January 14, 2014 at 9:56 am

        So true – thank you 🙂

  3. Bev Murrill says

    January 9, 2014 at 8:46 am

    Thanks for this, Anita… great word! My word is Innovate! It’s a new season for me… new country, new roles, new focuses… so I need to be an innovator… I’m excited about the way forward.

    • Anita Mathias says

      January 9, 2014 at 8:57 am

      How exciting. Will you be returning to Australia?

      • Bev Murrill says

        January 9, 2014 at 8:58 am

        I’m here already Anita… we arrived here on New Years’ Eve after 18 years living in UK>

        • Anita Mathias says

          January 9, 2014 at 10:30 am

          Oh lucky, lucky you, enjoying an Australian summer. There’s massive flooding here at the moment!

          • Bev Murrill says

            January 9, 2014 at 10:44 am

            we are definitely blessed… and praying for UK at the moment… x

  4. Elizabeth Jones (@chaplaineliza) says

    January 9, 2014 at 6:01 am

    Wonderful post, Anita. I could tell that the words simply flowed. I love that God is speaking so clearly to you. Alignment is an awesome goal. Being aligned with God . . . wow. I wish I could be.

    God has whispered to me about this idea of 365 days of service, a year of being kind. This is not quite what my orientation always has been, for years. But, I think God might be bringing me into a different season of my walk with Him. I strongly suspect both you and I will find some twists and turns in 2014, as we both encounter God in our prayer lives as well as our interactions with others.

    God’s richest blessings on you and your family!

    • Anita Mathias says

      January 9, 2014 at 8:28 am

      Twists and turns sounds scary, but they describe life, don’t they, and in the twists and turns we grow.
      365 days of service sounds amazing, and perspective-changing. Every blessing on it!

  5. Rhoda says

    January 8, 2014 at 10:15 pm

    Great word! I have been thinking recently that the solution to many relationship problems would be to pray for God’s view of it, aligning ourselves with His perspective 🙂

    • Anita Mathias says

      January 9, 2014 at 8:25 am

      Thanks. Rhoda. Happy New Year.
      Have you picked yours?

  6. Kathy says

    January 8, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    I enjoyed your exploration of what “one word” would be representative for the year 2014. It is true that we need to be open to the Lord so that he would align us with His purpose, and put His words in our mouths. My word for 2014 is “persevere” as I need to follow through with all the projects that I feel God has entrusted to me. This way of using just one word instead of a list of resolutions makes me hopeful of achieving what God has in store for me. May you too find the joy and peace that comes from alignment in His ways.

    • Anita Mathias says

      January 8, 2014 at 7:13 pm

      Persevere is a lovely word.
      It’s what I tell myself about housework. Perseverance and consistency will get any amount of stuff decluttered–eventually!!

  7. Mollie Lyon says

    January 8, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    I love the idea of alignment with mine of abundance. I was tired of always feeling my needs weren’t met, even though I know they are. I tire of other Christians living with a spirit of poverty. We have so much, that we need alignment with God to reach for what is needed at the moment. I know God planted that word in my life for this year and I’m sure we will both grow with the words given us.

    • Anita Mathias says

      January 8, 2014 at 6:54 pm

      The One Word is a lovely idea, isn’t it?

  8. Alison Hector says

    January 8, 2014 at 4:29 pm

    Happy new year, Anita! I love your One Word and the concept of God’s waterfall of ideas. You’re right; when we’re aligned with Him, the flow from the Spirit is unstoppable.

    • Anita Mathias says

      January 8, 2014 at 6:54 pm

      Do you have a word, Alison!

  9. Ang says

    January 8, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    I love your candor, Anita. 🙂 The thought of acceleration makes me feel tired, also! Alignment sounds like a terrific word for you this year. Keep writing & press on!

    • Anita Mathias says

      January 8, 2014 at 6:54 pm

      Will do. Have you chosen a word?
      Fun to connect on FB!

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LINK IN BIO!
Jesus knows the best way to do what you are best at!!
Simon Peter was a professional fisherman. And Jesus keeps teaching him, again and again, that he, Jesus, has greater mastery over fishing. And over everything else. After fruitless nights of fishing, Jesus tells Peter where to cast his nets, for an astounding catch. Jesus walks on water, calms sea storms.
It’s easy to pray in desperation when we feel hard-pressed and incompetent, and, often,
Christ rescues us in our distress, adds a 1 before our zeroes.
However, it’s equally important to turn over our strengths to him, so he can add zeroes after our 1. And the more we can surrender our strengths to his management, the more he works in those areas, and blesses them.
A walk around beautiful Magdalen College, Oxford, A walk around beautiful Magdalen College, Oxford, with a camera.
And, if you missed it, my latest podcast meditation, on Jesus’s advice on refocusing energy away from judging and critiquing others into self-transformation. https://anitamathias.com/2023/05/11/on-using-anger-as-a-trigger-to-transform-ourselves/
https://anitamathias.com/.../on-using-anger-as-a-t https://anitamathias.com/.../on-using-anger-as-a-trigger.../ link in bio
Hi friends, Here's my latest podcast meditation. I'm meditating through the Gospel of Matthew.
Do not judge, Jesus says, and you too will escape harsh judgement. So once again, he reiterates a law of human life and of the natural world—sowing and reaping. 
Being an immensely practical human, Jesus realises that we are often most “triggered” when we observe our own faults in other people. And the more we dwell on the horrid traits of people we know in real life, politicians, or the media or internet-famous, the more we risk mirroring their unattractive traits. 
So, Jesus suggests that, whenever we are intensely annoyed by other people to immediately check if we have the very same fault. And to resolve to change that irritating trait in ourselves. 
Then, instead of wasting time in fruitless judging, we will experience personal change.
And as for us who have been judgey, we still live “under the mercy” in Charles Williams’ phrase. We must place the seeds we have sown into the garden of our lives so far into God’s hands and ask him to let the thistles and thorns wither and the figs and grapes bloom. May it be so!
Spring in England= Joy=Bluebells=Singing birds. I Spring in England= Joy=Bluebells=Singing birds. I love it.
Here are some images of Shotover Park, close to C. S. Lewis's house, and which inspired bits of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings. Today, however, it's covered in bluebells, and loud with singing birds.
And, friends, I've been recording weekly podcast meditations on the Gospel of Matthew. It's been fun, and challenging to settle down and think deeply, and I hope you'll enjoy them.
I'm now in the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus details all the things we are not to worry about at all, one of which is food--too little, or too much, too low in calories, or too high. We are, instead, to do everything we do in his way (seek first the Kingdom and its righteousness, and all this will fall into place!).
Have a listen: https://anitamathias.com/2023/05/03/do-not-worry-about-what-to-eat-jesus/ and link in bio
“See how the flowers of the field grow. They do “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. Or a king on his coronation day.
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 
Of course, today, we are more likely to worry that sugary ultra-processed foods everywhere will lead to weight gain and compromise our health. But Jesus says, “Don’t worry,” and in the same sermon (on the mount), suggests other strategies…like fasting, which brings a blessing from God, for instance, while burning stored fat. And seeking God’s kingdom, as Jesus recommends, could involve getting fit on long solitary prayer walks, or while walking with friends, as well as while keeping up with a spare essentialist house, and a gloriously over-crowded garden. Wild birds eat intuitively and never gain weight; perhaps, the Spirit, on request, will guide us to the right foods for our metabolisms. 
I’ve recorded a meditation on these themes (with a transcript!). https://anitamathias.com/2023/05/03/do-not-worry-about-what-to-eat-jesus/
https://anitamathias.com/2023/05/03/do-not-worry-a https://anitamathias.com/2023/05/03/do-not-worry-about-what-to-eat-jesus/
Jesus advised his listeners--struggling fishermen, people living on the edge, without enough food for guests, not to worry about what they were going to eat. Which, of course, is still shiningly relevant today for many. 
However, today, with immense societal pressure to be slender, along with an obesogenic food environment, sugary and carby food everywhere, at every social occasion, Jesus’s counsel about not worrying about what we will eat takes on an additional relevance. Eat what is set about you, he advised his disciples, as they went out to preach the Gospel. In this age of diet culture and weight obsession, Jesus still shows us how to live lightly, offering strategies like fasting (which he promises brings us a reward from God). 
What would Jesus’s way of getting fitter and healthier be? Fasting? Intuitive spirit-guided eating? Obeying the great commandment to love God by praying as we walk? Listening to Scripture or excellent Christian literature as we walk, thanks to nifty headphones. And what about the second commandment, like the first—to love our neighbour as ourselves? Could we get fitter running an essentialist household? Keeping up with the garden? Walking with friends? Exercising to be fit enough to do what God has called us to do?
This meditation explores these concerns. #dietculture #jesus #sermononthemount #meditation #excercise #thegreatcommandment #dontworry 
https://anitamathias.com/2023/05/03/do-not-worry-about-what-to-eat-jesus/
Kefalonia—it was a magical island. Goats and she Kefalonia—it was a magical island. Goats and sheep with their musical bells; a general ambience of relaxation; perfect, pristine, beaches; deserted mountains to hike; miles of aimless wandering in landscapes of spring flowers. I loved it!
And, while I work on a new meditation, perhaps have a listen to this one… which I am meditating on because I need to learn it better… Jesus’s tips on how to be blessed by God, and become happy!! https://anitamathias.com/2023/04/25/happy-are-the-merciful-for-they-shall-be-shown-mercy/ #kefalonia #family #meditation #goats
So… just back from eight wonderful days in Kefal So… just back from eight wonderful days in Kefalonia. All four of us were free at the same time, so why not? Sun, goats, coves, bays, caves, baklava, olive bread, magic, deep relaxation.
I hadn’t realised that I needed a break, but having got there, I sighed deeply… and relaxed. A beautiful island.
And now… we’re back, rested. It’s always good to sink into the words of Jesus, and I just have. Here’s a meditation on Jesus’s famous Beatitudes, his statements on who is really happy or blessed, which turns our value judgements on their heads. I’d love it if you listened or read it. Thanks, friends.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/04/25/happy-are-the-merciful-for-they-shall-be-shown-mercy/
#kefalonia #beatitudes #meditation #family #sun #fun
https://anitamathias.com/2023/04/25/happy-are-the- https://anitamathias.com/2023/04/25/happy-are-the-merciful-for-they-shall-be-shown-mercy/
Meditating on a “beatitude.”… Happy, makarios, or blessed are the merciful, Jesus says, articulating the laws of sowing and reaping which underlie the universe, and human life.
Those who dish out mercy, and go through life gently and kindly, have a happier, less stressful experience of life, though they are not immune from the perils of our broken planet, human greed polluting our environment and our very cells, deceiving and swindling us. The merciless and unkind, however, sooner or later, find the darkness and trouble they dish out, haunting them in turn.
Sowing and reaping, is, of course, a terrifying message for us who have not always been kind and merciful!
But the Gospel!... the tender Fatherhood of God, the fact that the Lord Christ offered to bear the sentence, the punishment for the sins of the world-proportionate because of his sinlessness.  And in that divine exchange, streams of mercy now flow to us, slowly changing the deep structure of our hearts, minds, and characters.
And so, we can go through life gently and mercifully, relying on Jesus and his Holy Spirit to begin and complete the work of transformation in us, as we increasingly become gentle, radiant children of God.
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