Have you ever been wrapped in a loving hug that you don’t want to let go of? For me, there are immediately individuals I think of whose embrace is something I won’t soon forget. So many of those hugs are like hugs from a giant teddy bear who won’t let go. These longing embraces are something I want to hang onto and never let go because there is just something about their embrace that makes you feel strong and secure.

In 2014, my One Word was “gentle.” In 2015, my word was “brave.” This year, I have waited patiently (or not so patiently) for God to lead me to a word. I wrote down several words; “embrace,” “joy,” “write” and many others. But there was only one word that kept coming up in my mind. This year my word is “embrace.”

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “embrace” is defined as “to hold someone in your arms as a way of expressing love or friendship”; “to accept (something or someone) readily or gladly”; or “to use (an opportunity) eagerly.”

That’s the thing friends I want to embrace everything God has given me. I want to be better about savoring the every day moments and putting the phone and social media away as I simply bask in the moment. I want to embrace life as a single 37 year old. I want to embrace life and be the best daughter, granddaughter, niece, sister, friend etc that I can be! I want to remember that life is about taking stock of our blessings and embracing ourselves in those blessings.

I think so often it is hard to embrace each day because it doesn’t turn out like we expect it to but God wants us to embrace him and trust him. God wants us to embrace the life God has given us. That is never easy but indeed “there is a time to weep, a time to mourn, a time to plant, a time to pluck up what was planted” and so much more.

Embracing can be so scary too. Embracing change often causes us to catch our breathe, doesn’t it? Embracing anything can be so hard yet that’s what I believe God is calling me to do this year. God embraced the cross by sending Gods one and only son into the world for us and so we are called to embrace life too.

“God’s Word tells us that righteousness is a gift; it cannot be earned. But godliness is not a gift. We must pay a price to touch godliness through a daily decision to die to self and embrace the cross. God calls us to learn godliness in the classroom of life among people as we sit on airplanes and buses, walk among our neighbors and labor at our factories or desks.”–KP Yohannan

So this year, it is my prayer to embrace the “beautiful uncertainty (Thanks Mandy Hales)” of it all. For it is in that uncertainty, that we truly begin to embrace and enjoy life. I love this quote I found on Pintetest, “Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.” (Author: BG) Amen! May I find time to embrace each day, each hour, and each moment that comes my way this year.