Words for Every Year

It’s Word of the Year time again. I’m not sure who started the Word of the Year trend, but I do remember the way it seemed to spark and then catch fire, lighting people up with inspiration and focus at the turn of the year, when we seem to need those things most. The transition from festive December to January, with its cold and darkness, can deliver a big ol’ shipment of the winter doldrums if we don’t have something positive to focus on. I had my own Word of the Year for several years, and one year in particular, it gave me a footing I desperately needed (although I suspect that footing really came from the verse from which I took the word). To get to the point, I’m not here to disdain the Word of the Year practice. What I want to do is look at it as a piece of something much bigger–the Word of God.

But what I have realized over the years is that my words were always there–choosing a word to focus on didn’t mean the word was new–and likewise, my words do not leave me when their respective year ends. They are carried forward, an arsenal of sorts against hard days and times of exhaustion, against struggles and disappointments. They are comfort and sustenance, encouragement and strength. They are, in short, the sum of the promises of God.

Here is just a sampling:

• Rest – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)
• Joy – “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Ps. 16:11)
• Peace – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
• Grow – “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” (1 Pet. 2:2)
• Contentment – “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:12-13)
• Purpose – “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” (2 Tim. 1:9)
• Work – “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet and peaceful life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,  so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (1 Thess. 4:11-12)

Scripture is filled with many more words we can gather and carry with us: love, forgiveness, patience, kindness, restoration, beauty, creation, passion, healing, redemption. While zeroing in on one word for a year might be what we need to help us focus our energies somewhere specific, through regular engagement with the Word of God–written for us, the ultimate guide to living well–we can access a whole glossary of words for every day, for every year. The Bible is God’s love letter to his children, filled with his wisdom, guidance, and promises to us.

To continue reading, join me over at The Glorious Table. And blessings on your own 2020!