Word of the Year; REST

It seems to be a common trend for people to choose a word of the year. As I mentioned in, Reflections of 2020 – New Beginnings, I started having a word of the year a few years ago, after a close friend referenced hers. I didn’t think of it much before then, but after she commented on it, I decided to pray about it. Since then, each year, I get a sort of “focus” word or phrase for the year. This year my word for the year is Rest.

Is a word for the year unbiblical? 

I have friends who are against the idea of having a word of the year. They feel it is not biblical. I think it is all about motive, though. If you are using your word of the year to manifest something or attract something to you, then it is absolutely not biblical. That is an idol. An idol is anything that you think will satisfy or fulfill you outside of Jesus. (See my article on Overcoming Idols in Life to learn more about surprising things that can be idols in our lives.)

What a word of the year does for me…Focus

Have you ever researched buying a new car? Once you find the car you decide to get, did you notice that you saw it everywhere? It was almost as if everyone bought the same car overnight. Actually, it was that there were so many cars on the road before, that they were all just cars. However, once you decided on a new one, it changed your focus. You started seeing the one you were focused on everywhere. That’s how I view a word of the year. It helps me filter and focus all the messages I get regularly.

My word of the year usually ends up being an area of growth where I need to focus in order improve in one way or another. It is typically a flag to alert my attention as I’m hearing various messages. Messages around my focus for the year jump out at me more or seem to resonate with me more than the millions of other messages that I am bombarded with every day. I use it as a theme or a focus. It’s something to keep me on track with my personal and spiritual growth journey. 

If you don’t have a word of the year, please don’t feel pressured to make one up. It is not necessary to force one. We all have our own journeys and don’t need to compare to one another.

History of words of the year in my life

Last year, I had a phrase – Kingdom of God. It was something that guided and reminded me of growing closer to the Lord. The Kingdom of God was an area that I wanted to know more about and learn as much as possible about. It never ceases to amaze me how wonderfully the Lord can speak messages to me through that little phrase. Every time I heard the phrase or came across it in my study time, it caused me to pay closer attention.

A friend of mine had the word “Trust” one year. The beginning of the year was one of the hardest years she had ever had. She had to trust in the Lord more than ever from job challenges, financial provision, finding housing in a tough buyers market, and more. At the end of the year, God showed up and blessed her in so many wonderful ways. All the things fell into place in such an amazing way that she knew without a doubt that it was the Lord who orchestrated it all. No one could have placed each event exactly the way it happed to fulfill her prayers so fully.

I didn’t have a word for the year on January 1 this year

This year, I was a little surprised as the new year came that I didn’t have a word for the year. I thought it was odd, but left it to God. I prayed about it a bit, but was ok not having one if I wasn’t supposed to. Late night Jan 3, after a wonderful evening fellowshipping with some lovely new friends, I was feeling grateful. All of a sudden, I was reminded that a main area of focus that the Lord has been laying on my heart since early 2020 was “Rest.” 

As I was wrapping up last year and thinking about this year, one thing that just kept coming to mind was that I wanted to be better at taking care of myself, reducing the stress I place on myself, and to better trust in the Lord to take care of every concern in my life. A few nights later, I realized these areas are all summed up with the word “Rest.”

What is Rest

When we think of rest, we often think of sleep, and ceasing from movement. Did you know that it also means to lean on something, or allow ourselves to be supported by something? I like to think of it like one would rest upon a stool. I am trying to be more intentional about having Jesus as that stool in my life, and resting upon him. Allowing him to support me in all things that I do.

A few months ago, I was in a discussion about the Sabbath rest. One of my friends, reminded me that we need to always operate out of Jesus’ rest every day. It’s not just important to rely on Jesus on Sundays and operate out of that rest for the whole rest of the week. We need to fill ourselves with him daily and allow him to support us and guide us in all that we do. He wants us to operate out of His rest 24/7.

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him”

Psalm 37:7 KNJV

My goal for the year

After everything is said and done, I want 2022 to be a year where I learned to rest in Jesus more than I ever have in the past. My goals include taking better care of my physical body, reducing stress and anxiety, and doing all things from a position of being supported and led by Jesus. Do you have a word for the year? Please share in the comments what your word of the year is and what it means to you. If you liked this article or it blessed you in some way, please share it with a friend.