2023 Word of the Year

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It is January, nearly the end of January, and I have struggled to settle on my word of the year.

This past year, my word was CONFIDENCE.  I haven't gotten any farther with that than I did the two years my word was HUMILITY, or the year my word was LISTEN.  (If you are interested in a review of my words of the year, you can read this.)

I'm still working on all the words I've ever chosen.  Honestly, it's reasonable and healthy to accept the idea that perfecting any of these qualities in one's life is utterly beyond the scope of a pre-glorified mortal being.  Yet, even though I will never attain perfection in any area (this side of eternity), I can grow, and by God's grace, I do grow.  Some day, the growth might even be visible.  When I leave my garden for a week in the early summer, upon returning I often marvel to see the growth that happened during my absence, growth I would not have perceived had I been there all along.

God has graciously helped me grow in one concretely measurable way-- scripture memorization.  Each year when I find a word that challenges me and captures my contemplation, I look for scripture to underscore it. These Bible verses, connected to or actually containing my words-of-the-year, resonate with my heart in a special way, making them easier to memorize.

Recently, a passage has been on my heart:

Isaiah 44:2-5

Thus says the Lord who made you,

who formed you from the womb and will help you:

Fear not, O Jacob my servant,

Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,

and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour my Spirit on your offspring,

and my blessing on your descendants.

They shall spring up among the grass

like willows by flowing streams.

This one will say, 'I am the Lord's,'

Another will call on the name of Jacob,

and another will write on his hand, 'The Lord's,'

and name himself by the name of Israel.

I can't get over the beauty of the section that says, "They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams."

My word for the year this year will be TREE... like the willow tree in Isaiah 44, but also the cypress and acacia, fig trees and olive trees, oaks of righteousness and the cedars that undergirded the Temple of God.  Most importantly, I will meditate on the cross, the tree that was both a blessing and a curse, the most terrible and most wonderful tree in all history.  And I will not forget the Tree of Life that springs from the river of the water of life in heaven, yielding twelve kinds of fruit, year round, producing leaves to heal the nations.

I think I'll have quite a few new verses to learn.