Word and Verse for 2013

Last year I chose a word and verse for the year rather than making resolutions that may or may not have come to fruition.  I found that the verse truly became instrumental in 2012.  Having decided to make this a yearly tradition, I began actively thinking yesterday about a verse to serve as my anthem for the year 2013.  The year 2012 was a difficult year for many reasons--the biggest hardship being the tragic loss of my father to cancer.  (Side note: Years ago, my dad took this picture of the deer shown above.) 
God lead me to places of needing to have complete trust and faith in him during 2012, so of course those words came to mind.  Trust?  Faith?  As beautiful as those words are, they just didn't seem to fit.  Believe, hope, peace and other words all began running through my mind.  What word could possibly sum up leaving behind the hardest year I have ever faced and entering into the promise of a new year? One word kept coming back to me though.  In fact it kept showing up in scriptures, in songs...

That word was STAND.

Ephesians 6
 ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm...

Yes, when you've done everything you can...

just stand!

Stand firm in faith and the promises that God has given in his word because it is truly him that is the source of our strength.  He enables us to withstand the valleys and climb to the highest peaks!  So here I am...

ready to stand and see what God has in store for my life this year.

Happy New Year!