Jill Pearson: Blog

Last December as I took some time to reflect on goals for 2010, my friend suggested choosing 3 words that would represent my earnest desires without being too specific. Instead of lose weight, I chose the word portion, which could be applied to many areas of my life. The bonus was I lost 15 pounds this year! Instead of songwriting, I chose the word chronicle, which led to a diverse effort of songwriting, blogging, and letter and journal writing. My final word was respond, and God gave me many opportunities to respond to needs around me, including hosting a Haiti Relief concert in March, all because a friend said, “You should think about this” and I said, “Yes.”

The new year is upon us, and fresh words have been swirling in my head. They seem important, akin to naming a child. I've looked up synonyms, refined and expanded definitions, done biblegateway.com searches to see how the words are used in the Bible, and even prayed for confirmation. It was such a powerful exercise with a fruitful outcome last year, that I'm taking it more seriously this year. So here are my 2011 words...

inheritance

I'm always thinking about what kind of legacy I will leave for my kids. Are they going to remember a mother who was impatient, easily offended, harsh, and critical? Or can I breathe deeply each day, make a choice to control my tongue and see my children as God sees them, little unfinished works of art...angels in the marble, as Michelangelo called his sculptures. I didn't want to use the word legacy, though. Inheritance is a better word. It is biblical. It thinks forward and backward; what I have inherited and what I will pass on as an inheritance. The tangible. The intangible.

One day I was reading about the promised land being divided up among the 12 tribes of Israel. There were two little sentences that said in essence, “The tribe of Levi (the priests) gets no land. The Lord is their inheritance.” That really struck me. I don't want to care about the things of this material world. I want the Lord to be my inheritance and my children's inheritance. I want to hold loosely to land and home and things and hold tightly to faith, hope, and charity.

voice

I've noticed in recent years that people seem to care about what I say and sing. Something has welled up within me that can move people to tears or laughter or insight. Not all people, of course, but enough that I have to be thoughtful with my words, and make sure they are encouraging and salty and true.

There are other ideals that are captured in the word voice...that I would care for and develop my singing voice, that I would be a voice for those who have no voice, that I would listen to THE voice with inclined ears and a willing heart. But what I must remember most clearly is this:

If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Cor 13:1

yield

However I use my time, I try to ask myself, “Did that bear fruit?” Believe me, I sit around and watch mindless fluff on TV, diddle around on Facebook, and choose plenty of other unfruitful activities, but I do try to fill the majority of my day with meaningful and intentional choices. I settled on the multi-faceted word yield because it is a verb and a noun. The harvest produces a yield, which is a noun. It's measurable and gratifying and can be attributed to God. Yield is also something I do as a verb. I yield to my husband's authority, I yield to others, considering them “better than myself,” I yield my desire to be selfish and demanding, and instead choose the way of humility and understanding. Well, this is how I WANT to be. This is a worthy goal. I will draw a little yield sign and stick it on the bathroom mirror, reminding me to pause, look around, and THINK before I accelerate into some unfruitful activity, overindulgence, or unsavory attitude.

Anyone else have some words they'd like to share?