My Word For 2022
New Year’s Eve 2021 already feels like six months ago, for The Preacher and I.
Because after a beautiful Christmas season, after selling out my largest collection of art and ornaments to date, and after buying a fabulous sequined t-shirt just for family New Year’s Eve dinner…
…I tested positive for Covid on exactly December 31, 2021. And because I snuggle The Preacher, he came down with Covid, too.
Two of my grand girls and I, on just about the very last day I felt human.
The week immediately following Christmas, the weather here in East Tennessee was so balmy and wonderful, that the whole culdesac, plus my momma, decided to get out, set up The Preacher’s Nikon, and capture some family photos.
four generations of God-loving girl-power…
In less than one week, my attitude went from owning and feeling all this generous, feminine power - to wishing the fleas of a thousand camels into the hair extensions of the woman who messed up my grocery delivery.
And I may or may not have also threatened to drop-kick kittens:
Ok, I did. I did threaten to drop kick kittens. I was an aching, anxious, angry Covid lady.
But none of those words (aching, anxious, angry) are my word for 2022. I just needed to bring you up to speed. I’m all better, now.
The Lord actually gave me my word for 2022 this past November. I have been seeing repeating numbers since 2018, and their significance is profound for me. Suddenly, I realized the coming year was a repeating number. And the Holy Spirit said, “Collaborate with Me creatively in the coming year, daughter. Two are better than one.”
I also had the immediate longing to do important work with dear friends. And so, after hearing this word “collaborate”, within three days, two large collaborations came in - both of them with friends of mine: I am now one of the contributors for the magazine Eden and Vine for the coming year, and I will also be bringing you another art and lifestyle class on Jeanne Oliver's creative network - a class that I believe will be my best and most important work there, to date.
I have a strong intuition that there is one more large collaboration out there. I’m just waiting on the Lord for it. (And no, I’d never drop-kick a kitty, in case you are that next person/company/collaboration, and you are now very worried as to the content of my character!)
My most recent finished art
As I was recovering from the dreaded ‘rona, the Holy Spirit took me to the book of John, chapter 20, verse 22 (“2022”). It was one of the holiest moments of my life, and here is what it says:
“And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
As lovely as the other collaborations will be, this year, it’s this collaboration with the Holy Ghost that’s got me all excited. I can’t wait to see what He wants to do together with me.
Do You Have Your "One Word" {...word of the year, 2021...}
a dated kind of “commonplace book”, where I write a few words about the day. Over many years, I have learned to write only of the best parts of each day. The good things. Save the struggles for Morning Pages or prayer.
I learned the practice I am about to tell you from my father, who was a man of great faith. He was a prophetic “seer”, who practiced the presence of God and saw many signs and wonders. I grew up watching him believe God, and so I saw them, too.
My dad would sit on the side of his bed at night, and whenever something important needed to be decided or some insight was urgently needed, he would trust God to give it to him in his sleep. He would pray, and then in childlike faith decide he would dream the answer.
I am my father’s daughter. Last night, I decided I needed to hear from the Lord as to my “word” for 2021. I knew I did not want to choose it myself. I wanted the insight that only Spirit (who knows me best and loves me most) can give.
In years where I went with a clear word from the Lord, that word invariably came to pass in my life…with exponential results both in my life and in the lives of others. Because I learned long ago that the spoils of battle are meant to be shared, and important things can be given by impartation. Like the way I “caught” the gift of insight from my father.
So I sat on the side of my bed and prayed and decided to trust God to give me a word in my sleep. I wrote down in my commonplace book that I was expecting it. The Preacher was beside me watching me write it all down, with no small level of interest. He is familiar with dreams and visions from the Lord.
I woke up with my word! I believe it is the best one yet. It is a four syllable word - I saw it written in a dream, plain as day and unmistakeable. The word?
My word for 2021 is:
COMFORTANDJOY
Yes, one word! In my dream I was singing my favorite Christmas carol, and I looked down, and “comfortandjoy” was a word. One word.
I love the Lord so much! I love His playful, compassionate heart. I love that He still speaks prophetically - He still gives “now” words to His children. I love that He did not want to limit me to one word or one concept. So He doubled my portion.
I love the way He brings things to pass in me and through me that I could never do by myself because I am not that gifted or that confident. I am one who has known real limitation. (versus perceived limitation…or self imposed limitation…or a victim mentality)
I need the favor of God, or I am a nobody, doing nothing, nowhere. I promise you that.
Interestingly, I never could get a clear word for 2020. I half heartedly was drawn to the word “leverage”. Come to find out, the thing I leveraged most was my own grief. I learned in fresh ways what it meant, through pandemic and great loss, to be “pressed but not crushed”. I leveraged some beauty from those ashes, and created three collections of art. The first two were sell-outs, the latest collection has just three left!
Lord willing, I look forward to coming back to you here, at the end of 2021, full of stories of all the ways “comfortandjoy” became mine, and can be yours.
