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My Word of the Year 2022

a few words about

My Word of the Year
2022

Covid fatigue. Are you feeling it?

For something that once held so much promise, 2021 just seemed to be a repeat of 2020 all over again. Between lockdowns and mandates, I think we can all agree that we are tired. The life that we once knew pre-2020 still is just a shadow of the past, and it’s hard to find joy when we are constantly bombarded with depression, division, and death everywhere we look. 

But joy is a choice. 

You know how when you feel when you get off of one of those carnival rides that spins round and round and round? That’s how I could feel right now, but instead I’ve chosen to fix my eyes on the One thing that isn’t changing or moving: God. He is the Rock on which I’ve anchored my soul. So even when all the world seems to be spinning out of control, I can look to Jesus and find my bearings. Just like when you are on that carnival ride and fix your eyes on a single point so that you don’t loose your cookies, the swirling, out-of-control feelings dissipate as I look on my Savior.

So even though the world around me seemed to be spinning out of control, I chose to dig in and live devotedly to the things that mattered most during 2021: my relationship with God, my family and my friends.

I recently read a quote, “If it doesn’t matter for eternity, it doesn’t matter.” I can’t for the life of me remember who said that, but it really stuck with me.

I tend to be someone who easily gets caught up in trying to be the best at everything, and when I fall short (which is inevitable) I can be pretty hard on myself… especially when it comes to being the best mom I can be. That pile of laundry on my laundry room floor? It’s driving me a bit batty… but it doesn’t matter for eternity. Holding my clingy, cranky, teething baby has FAR more eternal rewards than making sure that the clothes are folded and put away.

God doesn’t ask for perfection. He asks for faithfulness.

In my zeal for bringing my children to Christ, sometimes I put myself in the way. While pondering the concept of faithfulness over perfection, I had the realization that when I demand perfection of myself, I am trying to put myself in Jesus’s place. He is the only One who can and has lived a perfect life. When I try to be perfect, really I am trying to replace Christ and “do it by my own self” as my 3 year old would say. Does that mean I don’t need to try my best and improve? Absolutely not! But it does mean that my perspective shifts and I ask myself, “Does this matter for eternity?”

Between self-imposed perfectionism and a world that seems to get crazier by the minute, it’s easy to lose my focus on the eternal, and if I’m not careful, I can let it rob me of my joy. But as I said before, JOY IS A CHOICE!

Happiness changes with circumstances, but joy is something that can not be taken from me because the JOY of the Lord is my strength.

So this year, I am choosing JOY!

I want to smile more. Laugh more. Dance more.

I want to let go of unrealistic expectations. Let go of uncertainty. Let go of doubt.

When I walk into a room, I want my joy to be contagious and leave others feeling stronger, happier, more peaceful because they see someone who knows where her source of strength comes from: the Lord!

I want to have a heart overflowing with praise and gratefulness. I want to have lips that sing my thankfulness to the God of heaven and earth.

Despite the tears and sadness that are sure to come because we live in a broken world, I choose joy. It will be my source of strength in the hard times and bubble over in laughter and singing when my heart is light.

Joy… the world needs more joy. REAL joy. The kind that isn’t determined by circumstances, but the kind that is firmly fixed in Jesus.

So this year, I’m anchoring my soul to the source of joy… Jesus!

 

check out previous
Words of the Year

My Word of the Year 2021
My Word of the Year 2020
My Word of the Year 2019
My Word of the Year 2018
My Word of the Year 2017

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My Word of the Year 2020

The past few days I’ve been trying on words like I would a new shirt in the fitting room. Each word fit right in certain places, accentuating certain aspects of my life, but none of the words I ‘tried on’ seemed to embody all the right areas. Like a shirt that has a great color but fits way too tightly in the hips, each word wasn’t what I wanted to bring home with me.

Then this morning as I read through my devotions, I picked up Mom Heart Moments by Sally Clarkson, and a word jumped off of the page and settled into the soft soil of my mother-heart. As I let it settle there, I felt it begin to take root and grow.

Cultivate.

Every goal that I have planned for this year has a purpose. I don’t want to read through my Bible this year for the purpose of saying that I did it, but rather to cultivate wisdom and a closer relationship with God. In doing so, I’m cultivating my heart and mind to be fixed on things above and to bring a true, honest, just, lovely and good report to my family.

I’m not working towards simplifying our home to be ‘trendy,’ but because I want to cultivate an environment of peace and joy. I don’t want things and schedules to take away from moments of connection and to create stress and business for no purpose.

Life ebbs and flows. There will be times of business, times of routine, and times of rest, and if I am cultivating a rhythm of simplicity and intentionality, those times will be filled with peace and joy unspeakable. The ‘stuff’ will be out of the way and the people and relationships will blossom. Even the hard, messy times are cultivating the soil for growth and connection.

When we strip away the distractions, we are able to cultivate wonder. In 2020, I have a goal to get my kids outside for 1000 hours. This is a lofty goal that isn’t meant to cause stress, but rather having something to press towards. Just as we are to ‘press toward the mark’ in our Christian walk because of the joy it brings us to reach for the best God has for us, we can pursue 1000 hours outside not for recognition or a certificate of completion but because we want to cultivate wonder, curiosity, and time with the Creator.

This year I don’t just want our family to grow, I want to cultivate a place we can THRIVE.

Not just happy but joy-FULL.
Not just be but becoming.
Not just here but present.
Not just grounded but blooming.
Not just see but experience.
Not just think but wonder.
Not just hear but listen.
Not just do but do for God’s glory.

These years are precious. Will you join me in cultivating your home to bring praise and honor His Holy Name?

Have a blessed 2020!

My Word of the Year 2019
My Word of the Year 2018
My Word of the Year 2017

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Peace – more than just a word

For the past few years, I’ve been choosing a word of the year. This word is something that I want to define my year. It’s something I feel that God has given me to strive for and meditate on throughout that year.

If you read my blog post at the beginning of 2018, you know that I wasn’t really sure what my word would be, but as I began to type and scripture verses came to mind, the word “peace” settled onto my heart. I thought it was supposed to be about speaking “peace” into my household… and in some respects it was… but I did not realize just how important that word would be for our family in 2018.

In February, my husband underwent an 8 hour surgery that involved his ear and brain. Despite not knowing the outcome, as I walked the halls of the hospital… I had peace.

Then when we welcomed our 3rd beautiful baby into the family, I could have been nervous about the transition (and to some extent I was), but there was an overwhelming peace in knowing that God picked that precious little soul just for us. Throughout the pregnancy, I prayed continuously that her addition would be a JOY to our family… and it was!

Just when we felt like life was starting to get back to a little bit of “normal” after my husband had recovered from his surgery and the new addition to our family started sleeping a little better, the hammer fell. Seemingly out of nowhere, my mother-in-law passed away.

Despite the fact that she suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis, was in pain from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet daily and battled infections that would make most people unbearable to be around… she remained positive and always had a smile on her face. We didn’t know how bad it really was.

Early one morning, the infection that was in her leg attacked her weak and weary heart. She had fought for so long that her heart just couldn’t handle the pain any more… and our sweet mommy passed away.

This blow rocked our family. She was the heartbeat of the home. She was the one who planned every get-together, every holiday, every thoughtful gift. She was the one who was always a listening ear for the good as well as the bad. She was a wealth of wisdom because she read her Bible and prayed fervently every day. She was a warrior…

… and our God is a God of peace. She may have been the heartbeat of our family, but she was NOT what tied us all together. God was… God is!

We cried together. We prayed together. We loved on each other. We clung to our God. We asked for peace in the storm… and he gave it to us. Did it numb the pain? No. But it made it bearable. It gave us comfort knowing that we would see her again some day. It gave us strength when we had to walk the long aisle to say our last goodbyes. It gave us hope for tomorrow. Peace.

The next week… her mom died. At 99 years old, she left earth to spend eternity with her daughter walking the streets of gold. She may have lived a good, long life, but death is never easy.

One week later… my grandpa passed away. As he entered the last days of his life, he was able to hold my hand and tell me he loved me. Despite seeming to be losing his ability to recognize people, he held my daughter and told her, “I love you Cora.” My mom sat and sang him hymns as he fought for his last breaths here on earth, and when he was no longer with us… we cried. Then we laughed remembering that big teddybear of a man. Boy could he tell the best stories! You never knew if they were true or not until he got to the punchline.

Three deaths in three weeks. It would be fair if we let death define our year… and yet our year was marked with a peace that passes understanding instead.

As we sing, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say… it is well, it is well with my soul,” we smile… because we now know exactly what that peace really means.

“You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3
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My Word of the Year 2019


Another year has come to a close. A year of unimaginable loss. A year of new life. A year of adjustments. A year of sacrifice. A year of collected moments.

When you experience life and death, you begin to realize the fragility of these days and years. As I watch my newborn baby turn more into toddler than baby, I see the days slipping by and realize that time is a thief, and as I remember my sweet mother-in-law, grandfather, and my husband’s grandmother, I am reminded to seize the day… we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

We are not guaranteed today… only this moment… and this one… and this one.

What am I going to do with this collection of moments I’ve been gifted? Am I going to live them to the fullest? Will I embrace the chaos, the love, the good, the bad, the ugly? Will I allow my heart to swell with the grace that has been shown to me and in turn show grace to those around me? Will I put down my distractions and embrace the beauty before my eyes? Will I be more present, more joyful, more intentional?

Intentionality.

That is my mantra for this new year…. Intentionality. I will be more intentional in my personal habits. I will be more intentional in the habits we are forming as a family. I will be more intentional in letting go of “what I want” and embracing what I’ve been given. I will be more intentional with my health: spiritually, physically, and mentally. I will be more intentional with my time, with my money, with my talents. I will prioritize my life in a way that only what is true, noble, right, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy are at the forefront of my thoughts and actions.

I will live in today. In THIS moment.

I will read a good book. I will snuggle my children. I will go on dates with my husband. I will pray more fervently. I will not allow that chaos of raising young children to steal my joy. I will laugh more, love more, sing more.

None of this is easy. Intentionality is not easy. There will be days that I will forget. There will be days that I get caught up in meaningless tasks and forget to love above all. There will be seasons that laughter and thankfulness won’t come easily.

But I will intentionally STRIVE for these things. I will seek God. I will allow his grace to fill me when I make mistakes. I will forgive others. I will forgive myself.

I will live 2019 intentionally. I will be a moments collector. I will live life as it was meant to be lived… with purpose.

My Word of the Year 2018
My Word of the Year 2017

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