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One Word 2012: Bold

January 2, 2012 by 1 Comment

Photo Courtsey of Suzie Cheel

Every year some people choose one word as they start their new year to set a personal vision for what the next 12 months will hold. I’ve never done that, usually nothing spectacular comes to mind. I also am not a resolutions person. I prefer to make changes as I see the need for it and reflect as the year goes on rather than waiting for the magic day on the calendar.

This year though, there is a word that seems to keep surfacing in my spirit and around me. The word is Bold. I can’t help but feel that I need to own “bold” this year.

The Webster dictionary defines bold (adj.) in the following ways:

1. a: fearless before danger :intrepid
b: showing or requiring a fearless daring spirit
3.adventurous, free <a bold thinker>
4. standing out prominently
When I was younger, I used to be more bold. I was less fearful of speaking up in the face of opposing opinions. More confident about my faith, and beliefs. I’m not sure when, but something changed. Maybe I started trying to be more sensitive to other’s opinions or feelings. This is certainly a good thing, but there has to be some balance.
The apostle Paul wrote:
Since we have such a hope we are very bold. -2 Corinthians 3:12
This from a guy who got thrown in jail for being bold. He saw no tangible, earthly, positive outcomes from being this way. However, the knowledge of and faith in Christ he had was enough to sustain and push him forward. In the letter to the Philippians he wrote:
And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. -Philippians 1:14
Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter, and other believers were so encouraged to be bold in their faith because of the example of Paul. This is absolutely counterculture not only then, but today. And certainly the opposite of how I’ve lived.
The need to be more bold keeps coming to my own mind. Additionally, others around me have made comments without knowing that have only confirmed this need. So as I reflected on what 2011 meant I found myself thinking about what it would practically look like to be more bold in 2012. Five areas surfaced where I want to be more intentionally bold this year:

There are multiple components to each of these areas that I will outline over the coming weeks/days. In general, I want to be confident in the direction I head, the decisions I make, and the person God has created me to be. I want to have the gumption to follow through in this. When I look back on this year, I want my life to be absent of timidity, and full of appropriate courage. Here’s to a year of boldness.

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  1. Bold 2012: In Faith says:
    January 4, 2012 at 10:30 pm

    [...] It is the context in which “bold” first came to mind. All the verses I shared in the introduction post are based on the idea of the Christian faith being worthy of boldness, regardless of the [...]

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