Happy New Year!!

Today, we’re setting our intention for 2022, and we are selecting and claiming our word for this new year!

When I look back on my “word for the year” these last few years, I can so easily see the pattern of God’s plan over my life. In the moment, I felt Him moving, but I didn’t see this same pattern.

2018: REST

In 2018, I was exhausted. I was a “do the most” kind of person up to that point, and I really needed a break and a new perspective. That year, I learned how to stay in my calling but staying in my lane. I learned how to set boundaries for myself and gently teach others how to see them.

2019: MOVEMENT

That year really set me up for 2019 when my word was “movement.” After so many months of taking a backseat and doing self-work, I was ready to jump back into the world and get back at ‘em! Little did I know, God had huge plans for that year. We moved, moved my parents, moved Ryan’s parents, moved the college, and the cottage… and basically movement was the only thing I did that year. I came in well-rested, ready to go, and God moved me all around that year, setting me up again for the next year.

2020: AVAILABLE

This is one of my favorite word plays ever. This was the year I was determined to become a mama lol so I proudly made my word “available” and told God that my womb was available for the child He had planned for our family. I also sheepishly said I was available if that was not His plan for the year and vowed to also make myself available for other plans. Yet again, little did I know… the whole world shut down that year, and I needed to be available to my work and my family, and it was not yet time to welcome a child into our home just yet. My workload nearly tripled, my responsibilities seemed to quadruple, and most things in my life took a backseat to our family ministry. My vow to be available to God was an offer He definitely took me up on, and I had to really put my money where my mouth way. Wow, the growth I learned from that year… only to set me up… yep, you guessed it. For the next year.

2021: UNWAVERING

After enduring all that 2020 threw at us, I realized that I wanted to become planted like a tree with a firm foundation, unwavering and uncompromising on my beliefs. God had shown up for me big time in 2020, and He had shown me an entirely new level of which I was capable of operating at… instead of asking for rest again, I asked Him to show me how to continue on at this pace without wavering. No more hesitating, or doubting, or questioning myself. I wanted to be an unwavering woman with an unwavering spirit that my husband and family could count on in the good times and the troublesome times.

God gave me many opportunities in this year to do so, and I recall several occasions when I was in the trenches and I remembered my word “unwavering.” It was in that moment that I knew exactly what needed to be done. And this brings me to 2022.

2022: FOCUS

As this next year begins, a new chapter unfolds in my life and for our family.

I am rested.

I have moved.

I’ve been available.

I am unwavering.

And now, I am taking my eyes and my heart and making them laser-focused on God’s plan and purpose for my role as a new Mama. The shift that has taken place in my life over these last 4-5 years has been more like an earthquake than a slight shift of sand. God has come in and done some serious work. He has opened my eyes to possibilities. He has shown me of my worth and value through His eyes. He has healed me from some of the most painful wounds I’ll ever experience. He has brought people into my life and taken people out of my life. I feel that every year leading up to this year has prepared me for such a time as this.

My goal for 2022 is to align my focus with God’s perspective. In every situation, I want to be able to see things how God sees them. I don’t mean with an all-powerful, omniscient perspective… but with more of a hope-driven, positive, and wholesome viewpoint. I want to always see the good, because I know He has put good in everything. That’s my goal as a Mama, and I’m starting to really practice it in this year.

HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR WORD?

It may seem silly to pick a word for the year, but I can genuinely say, it’s been a really neat part of my journey over the last several years. Being able to have something to come back to in tough times is really empowering.

I recall a moment earlier last year when I was really in a tench… felt like I had nowhere to go, and I was ready to just give it all up… and I believe it was in that moment that God whispered “unwavering”… and I remembered that I was made for this. I was made to do hard things. I was made to endure tough times. I was made to deal with difficult people. I was unshakeable because I am unwavering.

Something as simple as a word can turn your whole day around. That’s why my word “focus” is at the forefront of my plans for 2022. In everything I do, I just want to have a focus that is aligned with God’s perspective. I anticipate that I’m opening a door to be challenged with distractions because you can’t learn to focus on the good if you never experience moments where you have to practice that principle. Knowing this, I’m suiting up, and I’m heading into 2022 as a warrior, a Phoenix who has already risen, dusted off her armour and ready to this year and do it well.

I would love to hear your word for the year in the comments below! Feel free to share a word you’ve had in a previous year too!

xo – the wife, a Phoenix, and one focused Mama