Hello again! I have not been active here in a while, and for that, I am truly sorry. I have needed to focus my attention on other things this past semester, but there were also plenty of hours that I wasted that I could have used here. But, I am back and I have so many topics to share with you! To start off, though, we are going to look at the new year!
It is now 2022. In fact, we are already 4 days in. I feel so late to write a New Year post, especially compared to last year when I literally wrote one at midnight on the New Year. But, I still think that the information is just as important now.
Many people have focused on creating lists of Twenty-Two things. They will have a list of twenty-two Bible verses to bring into 2022, or twenty-two key concepts to remember in the new year. But, I want to focus on something maybe a little different. I am going to tie this concept into making a list of twenty-two pieces of information, and I also want to look at new year's resolutions.
I will go on a mini schpeal here, too. I actually have many opinions on new year's resolutions. I am kind of against them, specifically because they seem to be made to be broken. I like creating goals, but I make sure that I understand myself it is okay if they are not completed. They are simply that- goals. They are something I am striving for, and I try to make them accomplishable. I make goals that sometimes are very broad (and I am okay with that), while others are very specific. But, something that I care about even more than any of the goals that I made for the new year, is my "Word of the Year".
Starting last year because of something that my dorm hall decided to do for the 2021 new year, we were asked to choose a word of the year. Many people chose words that reflected who they wanted to be. Others chose words that reflected what they wanted to remember about the year. For 2021, my Word of the Year was "hope".
During 2021 I noticed more clearly every single time the word Hope was used in a sermon, on an ad, in a verse, or just in everyday talk. I was never quite sure why the word Hope was chosen, but I kind of figured it was what I needed after such a unique year that 2020 was before that.
This year (2022) I have already chosen my new Word of the Year. I am apparently an overthinker and am an anxious person, but I never noticed it in myself until 2021. I had (and possibly created) many stressors towards the last few months of my 2021, so my anxiety took over me. So, I have chosen the word "Peace" for 2022. I want to focus on God as the only One who can truly give me peace.
But, back to the point of this article. If you made it this far, I am impressed. Thanks for sticking around! While I did not have much difficulty choosing my Word of the Year for 2022, I was able to think of a long list of other words that would work amazingly for focusing on a solid year. I wanted to create a list of 22 words for you all to choose for yourself or get inspiration for. And just like my opinion about new years resolutions, if you do not think that a Word of the Year would benefit you then don't feel any pressure to have one! This is fun for me as well, so I enjoy the process!!
1. Faith- This one seems self-explanatory. It reminds us that even though there are things that we cannot control and there are so many unknowns in our life, that God has it taken care of! We can have faith that He knows what He is doing.
2. Trust- As related to the word above, we can trust God in all areas of our lives.
4. Endurance- We are called to run the race of life with endurance. It is not about who starts well, but who ends well. Life is hard and can weigh us down. But, if we always remember that we need to continue on with endurance then we can continue on through God's strength alone.
5. Focus- Everything in our life is competing for our attention. We need to focus on Christ.
6. Humility- Pride and selfishness are easy to get caught up in. But the opposite of that is simply humility.
7. Patience- (need I go through all of the attributes of the Fruit of the Spirit??? You can read my devotional series to hear more about my opinion on that. I think that each attribute of the Fruit of the Spirit would be great Words of the Year, but for the sake of the project, I do not want to use up more numbers to cover all of them!) Patience is a great Word of the Year because with all of the chaos of the world we can get riled up and lack the patience that we need.
8. Sacrifice- 1 John 3:16 " By this we know Love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."
9. Remembrance- This often is related to communion- a time when we remember Christ's death on the cross. If you wanted to make this your Word of the Year, it could also represent anything you think you need to remember over the next twelve months!
10. Integrity- I know that your boss would appreciate hearing this as your Word of the Year! Of course, you are not choosing this word for anyone but you. Integrity is important for giving God glory, and there is the added bonus of being a light and example to those around you. They will likely be able to tell that you are different, and often want to know why. There is an opportunity to share the gospel!
11. Strength- Or maybe the word should be weakness??? God uses us in our weakness, and in our weakness, it points back to Christ more than if we were working in our strength. But, it is not our strength that we should strive for. We want the strength that only comes from God and Him alone.
12. Truth- When we are surrounded by lies, we need to look up for the Truth. We need to focus on what really matters, and what we are really here for.
13. Worship- How would you define worship? Worship, as much as I understand it, is anything I think, say, or do that gives God glory. This does not have to be through singing or playing an instrument, while that is still worship. I can worship God, by the way, I treat others or the way I chose to spend my money to further the gospel.
14. Evangelism- (I could also go through the list of Spiritual Gifts. While some come more naturally to others, as spiritual gifts are given, Christians are supposed to be willing to use them all.) Evangelism, specifically, is a Spiritual Gift that is commanded that all believers partake in. We are all called to spread the gospel, share the Good News, and tell others about the free gift that God offers to all who chose to receive it!
15. Fellowship- Just taking a quick glance at the early church in Acts, fellowship was important to them. Maybe you are out of the routine of fellowship since the lockdown happened. Maybe fellowship never came naturally because you are an introvert (which I understand, but is not an excuse to avoid fellowship. Maybe you never understood the importance of fellowship. God created us as personal creatures, and He gave us each other so we could glorify Him by fellowshipping with each other.
16. Thanksgiving/ Thankfulness- Through everything, we are to be thankful.
17. Forgiveness- We all need forgiveness. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He said "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." (Matthew 6:12). So not only do we need forgiveness, but we are to forgive those around us.
18. Light- Jesus is the Light. But, we are called to be the salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). This Word of the Year could be a reminder to the believer about Who they are following as well as Who they are.
19. Wisdom- I have been reading Proverbs recently. There is so much content about what wisdom looks like, where it is found, as well as many wise words given to us in plain English right there. Wisdom comes to those who truly search for it (2:2).
20. Unity- In just a quick search I can find a long list of verses that talk about the importance of unity. Especially in the church, or in the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to give along with each other now because we will spend eternity with them in heaven!
21. Contentment- In a world of a perfect job, perfect home, perfect car, perfect life we often have so many wants. But, what if we could just be content with what we have? Philippians 4:12 "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need."
22. Second- This is a unique Word of the Year. But, it helps the focus be on someone or something that is not yourself. This does not mean that you get to not be first, but actually, always be second. I think if I chose this word it would remind me that there is always something else I could prioritize or think of before myself. This kind of goes back to humility as well.
...and the list goes on. I almost wish I could write a blog article about each one of these words alone, more than just the sentence or paragraph I added to give context. I hope this inspires you to think about what you want your 2022 to look like and what you want to focus on!
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