2022 Word of the Year - Illuminate

Each year, I pick a word of the year. I have been doing it a long time, and I have learned that the words always have an interesting way of cropping up for me whether I give them their due attention or not. 

2021 Cultivate
2020 Shine
2019 Intentional
2018 Flourish 
2017 Fierce 
2016 Joy
2015 Leap
2014 Positive 
2013 Perseverance 
2012 Patience 

I can remember the first year I picked a word was the year that Sam and I got married. I, also, learned that I will never again pray for patience. When you pray over a word, God always finds a way to create situations to allow you to grow in that word. Ergo... praying for patience means: God will put you in situations that require waiting. 2012 is the year Sam had a brain bleed, and we spent so much time worrying about what caused it and what it meant for his life. (Spoiler Alert: He is good... lol.) 

In 2016, my word of the year was Joy. It was also the year that my stepdad died. I had to learn what it meant to be joyful in your soul even when you are grieving and brokenhearted. Joy is a much more complex thing than I realized. It is not the same as happiness.

Last year, I spent so much time cultivating habits, choices, relationships... It was a powerful word. 

This year - in 2022 - I want God to illuminate my life. Shine a light into the places that need work. Help me to be a bright light for my family, friends, and community. And so many things that have yet to be revealed to me. 

This verse comes from "The Passion Translation" of the New Testament. It has been my prayer for this 2022 year. I cannot wait to see what is illuminated for me this year.