NATE ON A MISSION
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Showing posts tagged 365
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One Word | 365 days
A few years ago, I joined an online community of people that had a wonderful concept. Their brilliant idea was to do away with their resolution rubbish, and focus on one word. Focus on one word for an entire year. I really liked this thought process. I’ve come to eagerly expect it’s arrival at the end of the year with great anticipation. Along about December, I started to ruminate on the word I would most like to be attentive to in the following year. I thought it over for some time, and then came to a decision.
This past year our little online community (… which has escaped it’s little boundaries this last year; more like family, if I do say so.) went through a very sad loss of a very dear friend. Sara was a huge role model and mentor to many of us. She had a knack for making all of us feel valued and special. I will treasure her for the rest of my life. She showed me how life is really meant to be lived; unashamed before God. In every moment, I want to choose joy. I want to be intentional in everything. As I was thinking about my word, I wanted to move in the same direction as the year preceding. Action was an excellent choice so, I wanted to continue in that way. Without realizing it, I chose one of Sara’s life goals. It has me all warm and fuzzy inside.
It is my goal to be intentional in every moment. I know that I will not succeed every time, but I want to try my very best. I want to be intentional in my relationships with the people around me. Being intentional by seeking the Lord for what He wants with my life. I want the people in my life to know that they are special and that God as a grand adventure and plan for their life. The reigns are there for the taking.
With all that said, my word for this year is: Intentional
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A year of living intentionally …
It’s not even a month into 2012, and I have an update for you! Back in December, I decided to start this year off by taking little steps that I felt the Lord leading me to. Recently, I have been considering many different fields of work for a possible career, but I could never really pinpoint what I wanted to do. I wanted this year to be different.
Last month I had a conversation with a friend about life and the passions that keep the fire going inside of us. I told her that I was considering a few career options that I could see working out, one of them being nursing. She began to tell me that she thought I should start out by getting a CNA(Certified Nursing Assistant) certification to explore the medical field. That got my mind rolling. I started to look up CNA certification courses nearby. The only thing that I couldn’t figure out is how I would pay to get certified. The next week I was taking the bus to work and talking to my regular bus driver about looking into CNA classes. I take this bus every day. There was a guy that got on at the local hospital. He was not familiar, just another face in a sea of faces. I continued my conversation with the driver when the young man interrupted.
“I’m actually taking classes at Edmonds Community right now to become a CNA,” he chimed. “I’m in a grant program, and they even give you a free laptop.”
He quickly scribbled down the information about the grant so that I could look it up later. Before I knew it, he was off the bus. I had never seen him before, and I’ve never seen him since. I don’t know if you believe in miracles and angels, but that sure made a believer out of me.
Since then, life has been a blur. Christmas has happened. The new year has been ushered in. In the midst of the holidays, I researched and applied for the grant. It is an amazing opportunity. Through the grant, tuition and books are paid for. Also, scrubs, shoes, stethoscope … you name it, it’s paid for. Oh, yeah! The laptop? Free. The internet to do homework? done. I was hoping and praying that this would be the Lord’s plan for my life. It seems as though doors were opening left and right.
A few days after the new year, I went to an orientation to get tested and interviewed for the grant. Everything went very well. At the risk of not sounding very humble, they absolutely loved me. The lovely lady that conducted the interview said that I was the perfect candidate and would be a great asset to the program. Could this be it, Lord? It’s all sounding really quite nice. I was told that I would receive a call in a few weeks if I was accepted into the program.
The next few weeks were gut wrenching. This could be my chance to chase a career, and to have a job that provided for my future family. I was trying my very best to be patient. Two weeks past, and I had not heard anything. Last week, there was a sizable snow storm that hit the Seattle area. Most of the area schools closed for the entire week. That means that I was out of a job for the week. I was left to my own thoughts. I’m not good enough. I am not doing anything with my life. They were only getting worse. I decided on Thursday to change my attitude, and be productive. It worked.
On Friday afternoon I was sitting in my living room while hanging out with my brother and sister. My phone rang! It was the founder! He asked if I was still interested in the grant. Of course I was! He then went on to tell me that over 125 had applied, and I was one of 45 that were accepted! WOW! Is God not awesome or what?!
This is just a small step for me this year. I hope to make many more small steps toward living intentionally. I start school in two weeks, and I can’t be more excited.
Do you have a word for this year?
How are you doing so far?
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