Happy New Year!

A couple of years ago, my friend Sue decided to choose a "word of the year": a quality that by working on throughout the year, she hoped would partially define her by the end of it. I've been watching her work on these goals, and have been struck with how they have become part of who she is, and how they have improved her (not that she needed improving). Her word of the year has made her a better person. Since I want to be a better person too, I'm choosing a word this year.

Aware

I've been thinking about this a lot, especially since a church lesson a few weeks ago where we discussed some of the qualities of Christ that we would like to share with Him. I thought of this story from the Bible:

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (Mark 5:25-34).

I've been right there with the disciples for a long time, wondering what kind of powers could have enabled the Lord to know that one person among a crowd had touched His clothing with more intention than all the rest. I hope I'm not minimizing the miracle, but I think it comes down to awareness. Jesus was totally aware of all people at all times, because He was there to serve and to save them. He knew the woman had touched His clothing because He sensed her faith and her need, and He was available to help her. I want to be like that, in the sense that I am constantly sending feelers out to others, trying to sense what they need, and working to help them get it.

I hope that a side effect of this will be understanding more deeply how aware God is of me, and coming to appreciate more fully how much He helps me. That would be great.

I also want to be more aware of myself, but not in a self-centered way. I want to learn more about what makes my body function best, and follow what I know in order to be as healthy as possible. Hopefully this will make me better able to pay less attention to myself and more attention to others.

My sister and I are starting a project this year in which we will try not to be such consumers--meaning that we will pay more attention to what we need and less attention to what The Man is telling us we should have. I think awareness will come in handy here as well.

That's probably enough to be getting on with, but if I master all of that, I'd like to be more aware of what's going on in the world--who is suffering, and why; my carbon footprint; what our elected leaders are doing with all the power we give them--that sort of thing.

Thanks to Lark, for reminding me that even the best idea needs a plan for execution. How will I do it? Here are a couple of things I think will help:

1. Pray. I will ask for daily inspiration to help me be aware of others and act on what I notice.
2. If I know my closest friends, and I think I do, they will remind me of my word, they'll notice when I succeed and offer positive feedback, and they'll let me know when I need to do better. I'm counting on them to help, so I must make sure they know what I want.
3. Post some notes around, in places where I need them: in my car, computer/phone wallpaper, etc. Not as lame as it sounds. I've had a reminder note posted on my bathroom mirror for about three years and I've become pretty good at several of the things on it.

So here I go. I hope that in 365 days you will think of me as a person with more awareness--and as someone who is better for it.