Discipline - a word for the year
A year ago I explained in my blog post “Overwhelmed” why I choose a word-of-the-year. At the end of the post, I mentioned that I had not confidently landed on my word for 2022 but that I knew, in time, God would download the word in my soul.
Sure enough, with a few more weeks of prayer and introspection, my 2022 word was delivered but not happily received. This is how I know that the word is Holy Spirit driven rather than self-selected. I am always tempted to choose words that are encompassed in comfort. On the other hand, God chooses words saturated in uneasiness, because if we become complacent, we tend to become lazy, distant, and stagnant. So, His words for me have always been tinged with discomfort for the purpose of spiritual and practical development.
The word of 2022 was DISCIPLINE. Not punishment; instead, the type of discipline that requires consistent practice and training, focused attention to learning, and correct living.
Honestly, I thought the word was intended to help guide my decision-making. Often, I find myself in a place referred to as decision fatigue and I often lose discipline in those moments. I figured God was going to work in me a boldness to stick to my goals, my words, and my commitments. I also conjured up ideas that discipline meant I would be working on eating, exercise, and overall wellness for the year. I should know by now that it is not wise to fill in the blanks for God. I have never received a yearly word with a playbook or plan! Every single year I have been unable to guess the impact of that year’s word. Every yearly word has been about trust and faith and releasing the storyline to my Heavenly Father.
At the end of 2022, discipline most definitely weaved its way through the circumstances of the year. Hindsight illustrates both the spiritual and practical ways that God asked me to be disciplined - steadfast in consistency and commitment. These moments were challenging and required more than I thought I could give. It made for a very complex year because I felt trapped knowing that I needed to be disciplined in obedience to God but not wanting to walk through any more fires that required such discipline in the first place. Through it all, I kept coming back to the recognition that I could not carry through in a disciplined manner without the consistency of a very disciplined and steadfast God.
My theme verse for the year was a blatant reminder of this truth: “Be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Steadfast, immovable, and disciplined in these “even-if” moments:
When you are believing God for a miracle in your life and watch others receive similar miracles while you still wait…
When a health crisis arises out of the blue and bruises your hope
When health insurance fails to be easy
When grief becomes too close a friend, overstaying its welcome and tainting your joy
When unkind words spoken from onlooker’s broken lips penetrate your own heartache and reverberate in your soul
When fulfilling a call from God takes more time, patience, money, and grit than thought possible
When loved ones receive devastating news and the lack of proximity to each other is a cruel reality
When questions arise about God’s plan and purpose in the aftermath of completing the “big ask”
Excelling in the Lord’s work…
Worshiping God for Who He is, despite my troubling circumstances
Showing up for others in their needs even if my needs are similar or feel more important
Laying down my preferences, playbook, and five-step plan and accepting the God-chosen journey before me
Prioritizing time in God’s presence, even if I feel angered, cheated, or neglected
Praying for the troublemakers, the nay-sayers, and those that require extra grace
Choosing to celebrate with others in their breakthroughs and striving to shutter jealous tinges when their breakthroughs come before my own
Your labor in the Lord is not in vain even if…
There may not be any visual fruit
There may not be fanfare
There may not be a known testimony
The bank account may look worse
The hours logged may outweigh the rest received
You cannot explain to others the whys or hows…
Discipline holds hands with its friend named Faith. They hang out together, a lot. 2022 gave me too many opportunities to practice obedient discipline and it illustrated that faith would be a necessary companion as well.
Even when we do what God has asked, we tend not to reap the benefits that we believe go along with fulfilling His ask. Typically, we are asked to respond, to step out in faith, and to be steadfast in the work of the Lord without a specific “and this is how the story ends.” Now, Scripture promises that when we work unto the Lord, the work will not go in vain. God will not be mocked; He will follow through with His promises and purposes every single time (Galatians 6:7). But, our disciplined “yes” to Him doesn’t always produce visual or tangible WOW moments. The end of the story is often unknown, there is rarely a pretty bow on the package, and we may not see how our work partnered with God’s master plan until we view the intricate graph etched in gold on heavenly walls.
2022 was the year of disciplined yesses throughout many devastations. My faith was tried and my hope was bruised on more than one occasion. Yet, in reflection, there is a reason that discipline was my word. Without the constant focus of such steadfast behavior, I would have buckled under the pummeling and had only broken shards of self to display. Discipline kept me on my toes; it made me more aware of the enemy’s manipulation and keener to God’s presence in the middle of the terror. I think discipline kept me grounded, anchored to the One who is perfect in His steadfastness.
As you consider choosing a word for 2023 or finalizing a word you believe He has already provided, I want to encourage you to embrace it as it comes. It will not include a guidebook, playbook, or instructional manual and your word will likely be a companion to Faith. Be ready to journey through the calendar of triumph and turbulence as God displays His good works and purposes through your spiritual and practical growth. The word He gives you is a gift; although, it often doesn’t feel like it. In hindsight, eleven months from now, I believe in faith that our words will be pillars in our year, Holy Spirit delivered words that we will anchor to, words that will change us as we accept the sanctifying work of Christ in 2023.
I’d love to hear about your “yearly word.” Send me an email!
Until next time friend,
I invite you to grab a cup of coffee, tea, or chai and sit with me. If you haven’t yet purchased God’s Big Ask, you can do so here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGKHY7KM
