Sunday Sentiments

 

One of my links yesterday in the Saturday Six was a list of ideas for a theme word for the new year. To be honest, the list was overwhelming, and the way our week went, I didn't have time to sit and really think through what I might want to focus on. So...I hollered over to Ryan, "Hey! Pick a number." 

Yeah. I was that girl.

The number he picked was pretty much the one word I hoped I wouldn't get, because honestly it didn't feel like it made a ton of sense as a word of the year. I almost ask him to pick again, but then I figured perhaps the very strangeness of it all was what made it the perfect word. 

Are you ready for it?

Foster.

I thought it sounded strange, because it felt like some sort of an announcement that we were going to become foster parents, and that's not a calling God has placed on us at this time. (I mean, our job sort of encompasses that most of the time, so there isn't much margin left over to foster within our home beyond that.)

My next step was to make myself think about what the word foster means beyond my first thought of foster parenting. I looked it up and found it means "to encourage or promote the development of something, typically something regarded as good."

Immediately I thought of the verses in 2 Peter that says, "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1:5-8)

I might not be fostering children in our home, but I am fostering lives with our tenants.

I'm fostering our marriage - which, by the way, reaches 109 months today - so, happy monthiversary, Ryan! I love you!

I'm fostering my faith, which has been tested and challenged in so many ways over the last year.

I'm fostering cleanliness in our home - in the way we eat and the toxins we are working to eliminate.

And then there's that entire list from 2 Peter that needs and deserves my fostering attention. Goodness. Knowledge. Self-control. Perseverance. Godliness. Mutual affection. Love. All these inner qualities need my attention so they can grow within me.

Fostering is ongoing. I don't know that I will ever reach completion with growing these qualities in my soul, but that shouldn't discourage me. I will hopefully see growth and improvement in each area, and that should be cause for celebration!

So that's my word for 2022. 

Foster.

I am striving to encourage and promote the development of good things in my life, heart, soul, faith, marriage, home, work, and more. 

Do you have a word or a verse for 2022? I'd love to hear it!