My One Word: Week One

For the past two years, Port City Community Church (PC3) has been experimenting with a simplified approach concerning New Year's resolutions. The idea is to pick one, and only one, word to define a single trait or concept that we'd like to adopt or create within ourselves in the coming year. We pick our one word individually, but we also pick a word for our Small Group, and another for the entire congregation. The website myoneword.org explains it all better than I did here.
My word for this past year was actually two, so in effect, I cheated a little. My first word was "lead," as in "leader." This year, I've been praying for God to transform me into a person who didn't shun responsibility, into someone who didn't fear the idea of being accountable for the well-being of others. My second word was "husband," and in my mind, it was the more important of the two: I wanted to be a better leader of my family, and to love my wife the way she needs and deserves to be loved. Now, I can't say with certainty how successful I've been in carrying out the purposes of those two words: first of all, I'll forever be working on those goals, and second, the people around me are the best judges of my progress, so only they can honestly say if this year has been a success or not.
This year, because I feel like I was moderately successful, I've decided to take it a step further. For each week of January, I'm going to define my purposes and thoughts behind a new word. At the end of the month, I'll pick My One Word for 2009.

This week's word is "grow." This word just hit me this week, and while very simple, it covers a very wide range of things that I'd like to accomplish this year:
(1) Quite literally, I'd like to Grow a garden this year. Nothing big or fancy, just something that mirrors the power and wonder of God providing for us with things we ultimately have no control over. Plus, it requires me to be responsible for something other than myself, so in a very loose way, it's a continuation of "Lead."
(2) I'd like to Grow as a follower of Christ. I mean, if I wasn't dissatisfied with my walk with God, then I would not be looking at myself honestly. That leads me to...
(3) I'd like to Grow closer to every member of my Small Group. We're all pretty close already - we talk about everything. But I'd like to accept that proverbial "yoke of leadership" that in a small (or maybe even large) way makes me a little responsible for their spiritual growth. Remember, this whole leadership thing is new to me, so I'm still learning. I need to Grow, and the only way to do that sometimes is through experience.
(4) I'd like to Grow my Small Group. This is a painful one, but it's true. We're supposed to "multiply" in order to make room for new members, but it's so hard to have fledgling leaders leave the nest, so to speak. It ultimately and ideally means that they leave the group to start their own. It's hard to say goodbye, even though I know I'll see them more than I think I will. Yet, that's our purpose, after all - to Grow and create new Small Groups for the people we will love and walk with, yet don't yet even know. Growth is usually painful.
(5) I'd like my family to Grow. This one scares me most of all, because it hinges on the one thing that I feel I have absolutely no control over: money. Therefore, it's the one thing that God has all control over. Further still, it's the one step of faith that hardest for me to make. No one wants to take a financial leap of faith.
(6) I'd like to Grow my business. This is yet another responsibility that scares me because of the financial repercussions. This past year was a nightmare, economically speaking, but if I don't trust God over the financial geniuses of Wall Street, then where is my faith?

That's the gist of it. "I'd like to" is synonymous with "I fear having to" in all cases above except #1, and can also be exchanged with "I really don't want to" because of laziness, fear, and a lack of faith. But that's why it has to change, and it's the purpose of My One Word. We pick a word that is specific, and not normally one that has so many implications as "grow." So next week, I'll work on creating a word that is more focused. Speaking of that, it's time I get focused on getting ready for work.

P.S.: Mike and Kirsten, Jesse and Erin, drive safely, and we're still praying for you.