Friday, February 3, 2017

DEVOTION~Linger Longer! by Shirley Corder

Image courtesy of alex_ugalek; 
In the small village of Dullstroom, South Africa, there is a beautiful resort called Linger Longer. The cottages border a small forest and have a glorious view of rolling hills and fields. All four cottages are isolated from one another, and it is possible to spend several days there without any human interference.

You may be visited by an occasional family of duiker (a small antelope found in Africa south of the Sahara), and the family dog periodically pops in to make sure you are comfortable.)

A nearby dam is a bird watcher's dream as it houses a number of different species of water birds. Visitors are welcome to walk around the estate and fishermen are free to fish in the well-stocked trout dams. The units are exquisitely appointed with everything you need for a good break. The luxurious decor makes visitors feel pampered without having to rob a bank.

Image courtesy of Phil_Bird at FreeDigitalPhotos.net; 
Are you drooling yet? My husband and I stayed there for a short break some years ago, and we would both love to go back there. The resort is well named: Linger Longer. It is the sort of isolation and place of rest which most writers, and I'm sure just about any other type of busy person, longs to experience.

In case you wondered, this is not meant to be a travel brochure, although I'm sure you would love to visit! No, it's about the new year, which in eleven short months will become the old year!

I wanted to follow the popular trait of choosing one word for the year 2017. As soon as I gave it some thought, I knew what I wanted to use, but I couldn't find one word to express it. I wanted this year to be a period of my life where I could spend longer quality time enjoying the company of people I love. Where I did not want to stop writing, I did want to soak in the lives of the people I'm currently writing about. I didn't want to just tell their stories, but enjoy their company and seek to understand their challenges as well as what brought them joy.

I also wanted to get more into the Word this year. That probably sounds strange, as I am a retired minister's wife, have led Bible Studies most of my adult life, and am writing a series based on lesser known Biblical women. But I longed to sit and absorb the Scriptures in a way I have never been able to do. To spend more time and have someone apart from my husband teaching and explaining the passages to me.

And finally, selfishly, I wanted some "me" time. The days, weeks, and even years, seem to fly past. I have so many things I want to do, but I never find time for personal fun.

And I wanted one word to say all that.

I couldn't find one, until I read Ian Acheson's Wednesday's post on ICFWay. He speaks of "Lingering in His Presence". Suddenly, I had my word. Linger. I want to linger with people I love, linger over the passages of Scripture that I'm seeking to bring alive with my writing, and linger over my Bible.

Instead of racing to meet a self-imposed deadline for the next book in my series, I'm lingering over the story, enjoying each part of the character's life, reading other material that relates to her and imagining how I would have behaved in her sandals.

I've joined a Precept Bible Study. I've longed to do this for many years, but never found the time. The idea of an hour's homework every day totally put me off! Now, I'm so enjoying the in-depth teaching of God's Word, and believe it or not, I'm loving that hour, first thing in the morning, when I get to linger over the designated passage for an hour.

And I have returned to an old hobby of card-making. I've found it an ideal way of lingering with my husband at night. We chat or watch television, while I make creative use of my time.

I have also joined a wonderful group of card-makers with whom I am in contact on Whatsapp as well as regular get-togethers where we can linger together over our shared hobby.

So thank you Ian, for giving me my 2017 word. I was already following the principle, but now I have a word for it. With a stretch, I'd even like to use the phrase, "Linger Longer" as I travel through 2017.

 What about you?
Have you chosen a word for the year? 

Please share it and tell us how you're getting on with it in a comment below.

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast of South Africa with her husband, Rob. She has recently embarked on a series of eBooks titled, Out of the Shadow. Book 1 is Naomi, Beloved Mother-in-Law and Book 2 is Eve, Mother of All. Coming soon ~ Miriam Part 1, Devoted Sister.

Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on her time in the cancer valley.

Sign up here to receive a short devotional message from Shirley in your inbox once a week.

Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at  RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook.




14 comments:

  1. I love your word choice, Shirley! I decided to do the One word this year too and went with 'Connect' because I want to connect more with God and people. I have the word as my screen saver on my phone and am regularly reminding myself to stop and connect with people.
    P.s. I want to go to Linger Longer now!!

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    1. Thanks for sharing your word, Leila. I love the idea of connecting with God and His people more - so I can linger longer with them. :-) Every blessing to you!

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  2. Beautiful post, Shirley. There's a spirit about the post that oozes lingering … and yes, be fabulous to visit "Linger Longer".

    May you enjoy soaking up all of God's fullness this year as you linger longer with Him and in your various other pursuits.

    Grace and peace,

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    1. Thank you Ian, and of course, it was your post that first gave me my "word for 2017!" I trust you too will be able to linger longer with God and enjoy His goodness throughout the year!

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  3. Lovely post, Shirl, and I love how Ian's post inspired you. Thanks for sharing with us. I need to find a place like 'Linger Longer' in Australia :)

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    1. Thank you Narelle, and yes isn't it great when we inspire one another? Surely that is one of the purposes or benefits of ICFW! I hope you find an Australian Linger Longer soon!

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  4. Dullstroom is definitely a place to linger longer- I haven't stayed at that particular resort but have happy memories of visits to Dullstroom. During one visit, one of my granddaughters, who was very young at the time, was convinced that one of the shopkeepers in the area was Old King Cole from her nursery rhyme dvd!

    Linger is a lovely one word choice, Shirl.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Ruth. Love the story about Old King Cole!

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  5. Love this post, but I didn't see it Friday. If I had a word for this year, I'd choose serenity. Maintaining a calm and thoughtful spirit in the face of whatever swirls around me.

    I'm drooling over your description of Dullstroom and Linger Longer. Just another excuse for me to visit SA - should I ever find myself independently wealthy. (Sigh)

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    1. Thanks Judith. It was up on Friday. Ummm. We'll add this to tbe list. I think that's #365 now. 😀

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  6. Wonderful and thought-provoking post, Shirl. We always used to drive through Dullstroom when we went to visit my parents when they still lived in our hometown. Always loved driving through there, especially when it was misty. I miss that ... haven't been that way in years. I had a word for the year, and golly, I've forgotten what it was. Perhaps it wasn't my word? Don't think it's too late though to figure out what my word for this year should be :)

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  7. Thanks Marion. Bo, it's not too late....after all, I've just found mine thanks to Ian! Suggestion:Choose something relaxing! Your life style and productivity totally exhausts me.

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  8. Thanks Shirley for the post. It is indeed inspiring and motivational.As a minister of the gospel, I have really valued personal time, the time of reflection and connecting with our family and also a time to be revived. A word that I can choose to summarise my goals this year is 'celebrate'. My goals this year is to celebrate my relationship with God, my family and my friends.

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    1. Thank you for your response, Bambo. I love your word, Celebrate, as well. It is so easy to get swamped in the work of full-time ministry and miss opportunities to celebrate time with family and friends!

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