Hello! I’m Autumn Macarthur, a new member of the Inspy Romance blog, and it’s my first time here, so I need to introduce myself. I’m an Australian author of sweet Christian romances. With my lovely English husband, plus four rescue cats and a guinea pig, we squeeze in a tiny house north of London that is juuuuuust big enough to hold all of us! I love God, chocolate, writing, and chatting with other authors and readers, so I look forward to getting to know you.
Do you make New Year’s Resolutions?
If you do, you’re not alone! On the other hand, if you don’t, you’re not alone either! Maybe you’re a doer, like Heather Gray, who doesn’t wait until New year to start changing things that need to be changed. Or maybe, like me, you got tired of year after year making very similar resolutions then feeling a failure for breaking them. Or is that just me who does that? I found some interesting statistics about New Year’s Resolutions:
- 62% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions
- People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions
- Yet only 8% of people feel they achieve their resolutions
The reasons for that could be explained by some other statistics. By the end of the first week of January, 25% of people have already given up on trying to keep their resolutions. 36% will have given up by the end of January. Less than half will still be working on their resolutions by June! That was certainly me. Year after year after year, I started off with good intentions and high hopes, and almost always crashed. Mainly because I was trying to do them under my own power. God wasn’t in the picture. New Year 2014, I did things a bit differently. I had good reason to. 2013 was a big year. I quit my Day Job, to work from home. I surrendered my life to God, again, after way too many prodigal years in the wilderness. I committed to writing for Him. I wanted the core of my life to be God and His love and His will. But I still was trying to do it under my own steam, with lists of goals and resolutions and good intentions. So when my husband told me something he’d read about the idea to prayerfully choose one word and let that be my guide for the year, instead of setting a zillion pointless resolutions, it sounded good to me! Debbie Macomber wrote, in her lovely book One Perfect Word:
God continues to tell us, “Be still…” In this barrage of wordiness, what does stillness look like? Maybe it means we take it a step further and explore just one word for a whole year.
For 2014, the one word God gave me was “Renewal”. That word didn’t just change my life, it changed my stories too. For my characters, needing so much to allow love into their lives, renewal and going deeper with God became what they needed to before they could discover their Happy Ever Afters. For 2015, God has given me the word “Enough”.
Enough
Such a powerful and restful word! Not just enough in material terms, stopping always wanting more instead of trusting that He will provide for me and my household. It’s also enough, in trusting that His Grace is sufficient for me.
But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” I Cor 12: 9 ERV
I’ve sought to change my life and achieve things using my own strength, but that’s not how it works. It’s as tiring and pointless as trying to fly by flapping my arms really hard!
His grace is all we need.
We don’t need to work harder or do more or be more. We can step off that treadmill. All we need to do is to rest in Him and trust in Him. That is enough. Knowing that is a wonderful blessing. Enough. And seeing how that word turns up in my stories this year will be a wonderful adventure with God! Have any of you made any New Year’s Resolutions, or chosen one word for 2015? Feel free to share your one word or any resolutions that mean a lot to you in the comments. I’ll be praying for you! And all comments go in the draw to win a mobi (Kindle) ebook of three sweet Christian romances set in London, the Love in Store set of Books 1,2, & 3.
If you’d like to read more about the One Word concept, as well as Debbie Macomber’s One Perfect Word, other books worth considering are My One Word, or One Word That Will Change Your Life.
USA Today bestselling author Autumn Macarthur writes romances full of faith and hope, celebrating God's love as well as a man and a woman finding their happily ever after. She prays they’ll warm your heart and make you smile. An Australian transplanted to Britain, Autumn lives just north of London with her lovely English husband and three demanding cats, in a very small house with a teensy tiny garden. She loves talking to readers, so please get in touch! And get a free Christian romance novella when you sign up for her reader newsletter at http://bit.ly/Autumnsubscribe
Welcome. I don’t make resolutions any more and I haven’t decided on a word. I like that idea, though. I think “enough” is a good choice. Thank you for a chance to win a copy of your books.
Welcome to Inspy, Autumn! It’s so wonderful to have you join this great team of ladies.
I used to do resolutions when I was a kid, because it’s what everyone did at the time. With that motivation, it’s no wonder I failed. :) I haven’t really caught on to the one word thing, yet, because I feel like life is too short for me to just think on one word for an entire year. Instead, I try to live my life with God leading the way every single day. What does He have planned for me today? That’s my focus.
This year, however, I am trying something new. My friend, Amanda, and I have joined in on Beth Moore’s Siesta Scripture Memory Team, a group of ladies (10,000+, if you can believe that!) who work on memorizing 24 Bible verses every year, one every two weeks. At the end of the year (actually, it will be the beginning of next year), there is a one-day retreat in Houston, Texas, to come together and worship God for the amazing things He’s done through our Bible verse memorization during this year. I’ve always wanted to be able to memorize scripture but struggled to retain them long-term. Now, I’m using my own tutoring advice and techniques to help keep them locked in my mind, to be able to retrieve them at a moment’s notice. At least, that’s the goal. Each verse I choose will be prayerfully selected and touch on things I’m dealing with at the time. It will be a year of spiritual growth for me, I’m certain. With my focus more attuned on God than ever, how could it not be?
(If any of you would like to join in the fun, the page to start on is here: http://blog.lproof.org/2014/12/siesta-scripture-memory-team-2015-instructions-and-spiral-information.html)
Blessings!
Andrea
Proofreader/Writer
andrearenee2004@yahoo.com
writingtoinspire.blogspot.com
I don’t make them anymore.. I think my word will be Thankful… I will be thankful in all things!
Thank you for these thoughts about resolutions… I think… this will be a good word for me :)
dkstevensne aT outlook DotCOm
Welcome to InspyRomance, Autumn! So wonderful to have you here. I don’t make resolutions (never really have), but I’d like to choose a word for the year. I love your choice, and it’s prompted me to think of one for my own life and writing journey this year. Interestingly enough, “Renewal” was the title of the very first Christian romance I wrote (full-length). I’ve been thinking about it again lately, and I might pull it out one of these days and try to publish it. Seeing that word reminded me of it, so thank you for the inspiration. Blessings to you as your write for His glory in 2015!
Autumn, I love your post. I do not make resolutions anymore because I very seldom ever followed through with them. I try to set a month to month goal. It seems that I can attain these a lot easier plus I can see results. Everyone is different I know. Wishing you many blessings in this new year.
My one word is “Stayed” Isa 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
Thanks for the welcome, Susan! I’m glad to be here :)
So may of us don’t feel the need for resolutions or a focus word. God gives each of us different reminders of where he wants us!
Wow, that sounds great, Andrea. One of my goals for the year is to be more consistent in memorising scriptures. Last year I started doing one a month and put it as my laptop background, so I saw it and read it over several times a day. To do it in a group and more systematically would be wonderful!
I agree 100% with you on living with God’s leading every day. I journal as one of the first things I do most days, and part of that is seeking God’s will for that day. I guess for me, the One Word is the fall back position for those bad days when I’m being too self-willed or angry with God to connect with His presence. At least I can look at the word and verse He gave me!
AUTUMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) I have had a “word” each year for several years. I just pray until it strikes me. This year is “fulfill” and it makes me wonder how it will be worked out… :D Psalm 138:8 (NRSV)
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
And sure, everyone loves a giveaway. So excited to see you posting here. Yay!
Deanna, what a wonderful choice!
I know a strong element for me of “enough” is to give thanks for what God has given me. If I am ever feeling low or far away from God, giving thanks is a sure way to feel the joy again!
Thanks for the welcome JoAnn! The funny thing was, back at the start of 2014 I found this blog and thought how wonderful it would be to be part of a group of authors like this. And here I am, thanks to God!
I’m glad “Renewal” inspired you :)
Monthly goals sound great Katrina, and far more achievable and immediate! Praying you have a wonderful 2015 :)
Wow! I love that, Becky! A wonderful and powerful choice. I feel so uplifted reading the verse.
Hi Autumn, Welcome to Inspy Romance! We’re glad you’ve joined us :)
Mirtika! Great to see your lovely face! A wonderful word and verse. I am nodding as I read it.
Thanks Narelle. I’m so glad to be here!