Star Word Update
Reconciliation: /ˌrekənˌsilēˈāSH(ə)n/
noun 1. The restoration of friendly relations
Reconciliation. That’s the star word I drew this year. It confused me. I don’t think there is anyone, anywhere, with whom I feel unreconciled. Yet reconciliation is the gift of the Holy Spirit for me this year. I chewed on this for a long time, wondering what this word, this star could be asking of me in 2023.
Then one day it just hit me. The person I need to reconcile with is ME. That is my God-given project for this year. I need to lighten up on me. I need to give myself a little grace.
That’s … um … not the gift I expected. But it is the gift I need. It is the challenge I need.
There are lots of ways that this word could play out in my life, but one centerpiece has emerged so far, and I have posted it under a magnet on my fridge:
This year – because the Holy Spirit commands it – I am resolved to stop holding myself to standards that don’t make sense anymore for someone my age. I don’t have to look like I did when I was 50. I don’t have to be able to run (though I bless those people my age who can). I don’t have to be able to shovel snow without rest breaks. I can also let myself be a little slower than I used to be. I can do just one thing at a time, maybe for the first time in my life.
This month I will be 73 years old. Hallelujah! What a blessing! My task this year is to embrace this stage of my life and be grateful for it. To have reasonable expectations for myself. To restore friendly relations with this person I have grown to be. That is my birthday gift from the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God!
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Some of you have also been thinking about your own star words for 2023. I invite you to share what you have learned in future issues of this newsletter. The gifts of the Spirit are all around us!