My Word for 2022
A coworker recently hung a poster asking us to list the one word each of us would use to describe our personal goals for 2022. My mind started reeling. Was there a word that could summarize my aspirations for 2022?
Words streamed through my head: hope, courage, adventure, patience, friendship, and so many more. But none seemed to fit me just right or my idea for this year, especially since the last two years have been eye-opening, life changing, and surreal. Between the horror of a global pandemic, political unrest, a depressed economy, and natural disasters, it feels like our world is off-kilter, spinning haphazardly towards some unknown destination and we are just along for the ride. Yet I know with all my heart, that Jesus is still in control; that He loves each and everyone of us; that He has not left us to survive this chaos on our own.
So what word would I use to describe my year ahead? Still unsure, I prayed that Jesus would show me His will for my life for the year ahead in a single word. Then, I waited. I waited to hear the still small voice of Jesus. As I prayed and anticipated the moment that inspiration would ignite my mind, an idea fluttered into my consciousness. Knowing Jesus’ will for my life would only benefit me if I was willing and receptive to receiving it. What good would it do me to know what Jesus wanted for me, if I was unwilling to follow His directions for my life? Instead of praying for enlightenment, perhaps I should be praying for my heart and mind to be receptive to whatever plans He had in store for me—to create in me a heart willing and open to following the path He laid out for me. Inexplicably, this idea felt right. I needed to change my prayer. I needed to ask Jesus to prepare my heart, to help me be receptive, to His will. And in that moment, I knew. The word that I should use to describe my year ahead was receptive.
Sometimes listening for the still, small voice of Jesus is not enough. We must be ready to receive what He has to say. It is not enough to hear Him; we must listen, accept, and follow the path He lays out for us. We must be receptive to His will for our lives. Thus, it is my goal for 2022 to be open and receptive to the path Jesus wants me to pursue.
I pray that Jesus will also open your eyes to His will for your own life and that you will be receptive to the plans He has for your 2022.