I never, I repeat NEVER make New Year’s resolutions. According to Forbes Magazine, only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions, so I figure, Why set myself up for failure?

For the past couple years a friend and her husband have talked about the book, One Word That Will Change Your Life. I have not read it yet, due to the stack of eight other books on my nightstand. But thanks to Amazon, I don’t need to read it (wink, wink). Here is the synopsis:

One Word is a simple concept that delivers powerful life change! In 1999, the authors discovered a better way to become their best and live a life of impact. Instead of creating endless goals and resolutions, they found one word that would be their driving force for the year. No goals. No wish lists. Just one word. Best of all . . . anyone, anytime can discover their word for the year.

Powerful life change? No resolutions? I’m in! Yet before I get to my word for 2014, let me rewind to November.

One Word

As many of you know, I am constantly on the go. Sometimes by choice, sometimes as the natural by-product of being a wife, raising three kids, serving in ministry, and juggling two part-time jobs. A few months ago I prayed for the umpteenth time for God to ease my burden. I looked at my schedule, tried to weed things out, and failed miserably. I then resigned myself to a life of frenzy and stress.

Until I heard the Holy Spirit whisper one word . . . surrender.

At first I ignored it. Until I heard the word again. And again. And again. Surrender.

Every time I prayed for deliverance from my frenetic life I heard God saying, “Surrender.” Through more prayer and studying God’s Word, I realized I spent most days trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. I expected my life to live up to my steep expectations, instead of adjusting my expectations to suit the realities of my life. And when my head hit the pillow I was left with a day full of regret. Until I began to surrender.

Schedule

Instead of praying day in and day out for God to help me cut things out of my schedule, I slowly began to surrender. Now I take things one at a time, and I surrender. Anytime an opportunity arises, I surrender. I accept my natural time constraints, and I surrender. When deciding how to fill my calendar, the choice no longer belongs to me; rather the choice belongs to my Father. This means giving up control. This means disappointing myself. Yet this also means freedom and peace. For that I will surrender.

Sleep

I tell myself I don’t need much sleep. After all, I gave up naps when I was only two-years-old. Yes, people, this is the kind of ridiculous justification I use to convince myself I am superhuman and don’t need sleep. Yet when I am driving my son home from preschool and trying not to nod off at the wheel, the truth hits me like the swarm of oncoming traffic: I need more sleep.

We all possess limited amounts energy. I get that (actually I don’t, but I am trying to accept it). The problem is that I like to believe I am the exception to the rule. Did I not learn anything from the movie, He’s Just Not That Into You? As the wise Justin Long said, “There are no exceptions to the rule!”

Limited amounts of energy. I am trying to surrender to this fact of life. Every night as I whisk around the kitchen tidying things up or just veg out on the couch watching Parenthood (best show on TV, can I get an “Amen!”?), I surrender. When ten emails sit in my inbox unanswered, I surrender. When my blog remains only half written, I surrender.

There are many other areas in which God is calling me to surrender. I certainly have not mastered the art of surrendering and I know this will be a year of baby steps as I begin to relinquish control in many facets of my life. This task might sound daunting to you, but to me it brings peace. Each time I hear the Holy Spirit whisper this one little word, He assures me that God, not me, is in control. And isn’t that what we all want deep down? We live our lives like we want control, but at the end of the day we desperately want someone else to take the reigns, to bear our burdens, and to reassure us that it will all work out. And it will. If we just surrender.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to go to sleep.

In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—

for he grants sleep to those he loves.

– Psalm 127:2, NIV