Post 1

This is post number 1 in my challenge to choose one word to change my life in 2011.

My word: CALM

My daily Bible verse using my word:

"A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel." Proverbs 15:18

I have to admit, I can be a hot-tempered person. Really I can. It's usually involving something I'm very passionate about or if I have a very strong opinion about it. It gets me into trouble. However, something else I have to realize about myself is that I sometimes actually seek out these conflicts because I'm nosy, or just curious. I need to STOP. Immediately.

Now, I'll stop beating up on myself for a minute and say that I also calm quarrels. I am a teacher. While I don't teach in an environment that is quite as hostile as it used to be, I still resolve quarrels. This is with children. And on occasion I might have to calm a quarrel between friends, but I need to do better. I want to be that calm presence that defuses a situation rather than gets involved in it.

The weird thing is that I can remember when I was in premarital counseling Chris and I took the Taylor Johnson personality assessment and I rated very high on the HOSTILE side. Now, this isn't hostile like I'm about to jack someone up, it means being more passionate about something, to the point of becoming anxious (according to Eli). So, it makes sense that I picked this word.

Now, I'm going to do the very best I can to blog as often as possible and dive deeper into this word and how it is used in the Scripture. I can't promise everyday, but I'm going to try. There are SO many verses that use this word.

You can check out my source here: Biblegateway.com

So, as I sit here hoping for another snow day (which most likely won't happen) I wish anyone reading this the calmness that I am searching for. I also challenge you to do this with me. I want to read your journey too!

Mrs. B