My 2 Themes for 2014

Last January, I chose the words Grace and Courage to guide my year. Those words were nudged towards me until I took notice and embraced them as a defining narrative for my life. Throughout ups and downs of 2013, it was humbling to continue going back to those two words until they steeped inside of me. Little did I know how much I would rely on the encouragement and truth that they offered, especially as John and I battled through his health issues last year.

As I was reading an Advent devotional last month, I felt the Spirit prompting me toward two new themes for 2014. Remembering how much I relied on my Grace and Courage words from last year, I was hesitant to entirely jump on board with two new lessons. And yet, here I am declaring 2014 as the year to “Pray Big” and “Dare Greatly.”

Dare Greatly

The theme to "Dare Greatly" is influenced by my favorite book of last year, Daring Greatly. And ironically it is very connected to my word "Courage" from last year. As author Brene Brown says, "Daring greatly is not about winning or losing. It's about courage." 

Then when I read Holley Gerth's first Coffee for Your Heart prompt, I knew these were the encouraging words that I wanted the people I care about (you!) to hear as they begin a new year. 

I'm linking up with Holley Gerth's Coffee for Your Heart

Daring greatly in this new year doesn’t mean that I have to embark on a grand adventure in the world’s eyes. Instead, by intentionally seeking more of what God already has planned for me day-by-day, I will live His great adventure. As Holley Gerth says in her book You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream, “It’s not about what you do as much as how you do it. It’s about pursuing life with passion and purpose and going with God wherever he leads.”

What about you? Do you dare to grow in your desire for the daily adventures that God is calling you to? 

I want to encourage you today that wherever you are in life and wherever you spend your day, you can dare greatly right where you are. Join me in pursuing vulnerability over fear. In knowing your worth. In believing that you are enough. If we truly showed up everyday believing that we are enough, we could be excited about our daily opportunity to dare greatly. The journey would become a daily destination in and of itself in pursuit of ways to love others boldly and follow where the Spirit leads right where you are.

I'm starting to decorate my nook space upstairs. Welcome to my little writing area.

Above my writing desk, I've hung these quotes to reinforce my two themes.
Part of praying big will be memorizing Scripture with Ann Voskamp's project.
The other quotes are from Holley Gerth.

Pray Big

For me, I know that I can’t dare to follow the dreams God has for me without lifting up big prayers. I can't dare to love my neighbors, seek mercy and justice for the city of Atlanta, and joyfully work every day without praying big. Consider joining me in this too? And we can watch the powerful results when we take steps of faith, dare to believe we're already enough, and step out on this incredible journey.

What is your theme for this year? 

For a step-by-step process on how to turn your themes into goals and your goals into daily actionable habits, read my Student Launch Pad blog post here.