Tonight we ring in a new year.
I'm not making a resolution. A resolution makes me think of a contract that once broken, can never be restored. I'm making instead a New Year's challenge.
My theme for this coming year of 2012 centers around "Freedom." Recently I've become more and more attuned to efforts that work toward abolishing modern-day slavery. Between 12 and 27 million people today are slaves and many of these are forced to work in brothels. Many of the things we buy in stores were made by slaves.
My goal for this year is to further educate myself on which aspects of my life might help contribute to keeping people into slavery - and what I can do to not only stop this practice, but to help free and support the captives themselves.
"Chainless" is a project that I want to start working on. It involves many aspects such as researching which brands and companies make an effort to ensure that their merchandise comes from fair-trading practices. I'm also developing an idea for cutting a CD called "Chainless" that revolve around freedom and raising awareness for the plight of others.
God is making a lot of changes in my personal life as well and I want this year to be about freedom in my own life from sins I struggle with, fears that plague me and anything that is holding me back from living out what I was created to do. So my challenge to myself this year is to explore areas of freedom in all aspects of life.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
ReplyDeleteIsa 61:1-3
"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty." 2 Corinthians 3:17
Freedom is being bought by the blood of the Lamb and becoming bondservants to the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace. Freedom is the Gospel. Let us proclaim it. I'm right there with you sister - lets spread the Word of Freedom, the Good News, living in the Spirit of God - every day, in every thing. Let us lose ourselves in Him. Let us not live a life wasted in slavery to sin and self.
Freedom in 2012. A beautiful challenge.