For 2022, my "Word for the Year" was SHINE.
As a way to keep my focus on my word, I made a little sign with glittery, shiny letters and tucked it in at my craft table.
Arise, SHINE, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." Isaiah 60:1
At the beginning of the year I began filling a page with verses, exploring the connections between the word SHINE and others like Light and Insight.
Several mention the Lord's Face, inviting Him to shine upon us...
I let these verses seep in, wondering if I slow down enough to be still in His presence - - - to truly experience HIS peace.
I found an unfinished page from my Mom, which I added into my journal, finding comfort in our mutual love of Scripture and our selection of similar verses. I like how she consolidated the underlying meaning of these verses into the imperative "Go Shine!"
That put an active twist into my perspective of this word.
I also prepared another page to fill in throughout the year. I printed out the Good Morning template on yellow card stock and filled in the rays with washi tape, adding a title with shiny gold letters.
This page remained this way for quite a while.
Then one day I encountered these adorable scripture cards and decided to incorporate them onto my page. Since they were already embellished, I just added some doodles and glitter dots into the other quilt squares.
"Let your Light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and Glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
Initially, I found the concept of "shining" to be a bit elusive and hard to pin down.
As the year progressed, I returned to these verses over and over again, seeking insight and enjoying the imagery they evoked. Sometimes they lifted my spirits. Other times I was impacted by the weightiness of "shining for the Lord." A few times I was moved to action, bearing another's burden and lightening her load.
WE are a reflection of the Lord.... It's not about us or our efforts to do good. It's about aligning our hearts to Jesus and allowing our actions to flow out of HIS love.
WE are His Light, each of us going out into the darkness of this world and shining for Him and His glory.
Our December topic, Light of God, was a great way for me to wrap up this word, giving me an opportunity to illustrate even more ways to SHINE.✨
It also gave me a chance to use the rest of these beautiful scripture cards as a quilty patchwork page! 💫
If you think about our celebrations, many of them include some type of light display. Some are bold like fireworks or circling beams of light at a concert. Others are smaller like the candles on cakes to celebrate birthdays or other festive occasions.
Candlelight provides a calming ambience, drawing us together. The candle template was a great way to capture some of these sentiments and the anticipation of our candlelight communion service on Christmas Eve.
During our Christmas celebrations, may we bask in the radiant gift of our Savior and share in reflecting God's glory to those around us.
- - - Shine on, friends, shine on! - - -