Hope - A word for the Year — Carissa Campbell

I bruise easily.

Every protruding corner, doorframe, and friendly finger-poke leave their mark on my flesh. Subtle touches that cause no harm to others leave me yellowed or black and blue. I often have bruises that I do not remember getting and there are times I can play connect-the-dots with these unsightly menaces. I have my mother’s side of the family to thank for this generational hand-me-down.

I’ve learned to tolerate these physical bruises, ones that can be seen and touched. I can shrug off the circular discoloration from an unknown culprit because I know it is a minor injury, one that will heal rather quickly. However, even the dictionary defines a bruise as “an injury, especially to the feelings.”*

I hobbled into 2023 knowing I had been emotionally bruised by the thrashing of 2022. As I limped into January, I feared my “word of the year.” After all, choosing a word at the start of each year is not like picking a sweater off the rack or a meal off a menu. “Word of the Year” choosing is complicated and complex. It is even more weary when one feels weighty and bruised. In years past of choosing a single word, I have found none of them ooze or drip with excitement. There are no word parties with brightly colored balloons and confetti. Typically, there is a Holy Spirit whisper and then a tugging that cannot be denied. The same word tends to show up everywhere: in music, books, conversations, and in random situations that cannot be explained. By the end of January, I am overwhelmed by the word and reluctantly embrace it as my “word for the year.”

However, January 2023 was different. The word that surfaced in my soul and then kept resurfacing was positive and delightful! It was a cleansing breath, a balm to my soul, joy in the morning…my word was HOPE.

Hope dances with longing and confidence.
It suggests forward movement and trust.
Hope declares a way is made, Providence
Takes the helm and steers toward wanderlust.
Hope expectantly waits for a way through,
A way out, a way over, a way far from here.
Hope clings to what is good, made new,
In the assurance that Christ is always near.
Hope encourages one to sink their heels in,
To grasp hold to the Anchor of our Soul.
Hope promises time and time again
That Sovereign God Himself is in control.
Hope leans toward completion, fulfillment
It is steadfast in the fire, flood, and storm.
Hope joyfully celebrates the obtainment
Of beauty in the ashes, grace in the morn.

See! Finally a positive word! A year with a word that in itself gave me hope. Like all things that are worth having, hope doesn’t just happen, it is worked for. Holding onto hope takes effort of the mind and emotions. Why? Because there are a lot of people who will tell you it is hopeless and a lot of circumstances that sure make you feel as though all hope has been lost. And, in 2023, there were times when my flesh leaned toward the less and lost sight of the lesson. My hope was bruised…

This is why hope was my word for 2023. It wasn’t always a positive experience, but it was always a pruning experience. An experience that had a purpose: to grow my capacity for hope.

My friend, if hope relies on you, you will not find it. Hope will feel like an unreachable concept that only a few acquire. BUT, if hope relies on Jesus, then everyone can find it, experience it, and thrive in it.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.*

So,
When Darkness knocks and keeps knocking,
When Loss takes and keeps taking,
When Sadness inflicts and keeps inflicting,
When Loneliness isolates and keeps isolating,
When Others slander and keep slandering,
When expectations are shattered,
Dreams are abandoned,
Results are debilitating
Relationships are missing…
When we are discolored, bruised, hopeless…

THERE is God.

In the middle of what feels hopeless, the Hope of the World stands. In Him we find a Rock, the very definition of consistency. And He takes us back to the understanding that in Him alone we find the Hope that redeems, celebrates, heals, and sustains. His hope endures and is a balm for the soul because He, Himself, is our Hope. There is nothing in this world that can stand up against His holiness and there is no worldly infraction that diminishes Him; thus, Hope cannot be dimmed.

This year, as I wait on a new “word of the year,” I know my hope will continue to be tested. Will I place my hope and trust in God or will I make wasted attempts to control? Will I let the grief of the situation overshadow the grace of Jesus? Will I crumble under the circumstances before I snuggle close to the comfort of Christ? Hope is about decision-making, obedience-doing, and evidence-releasing. And when we walk with the Hope of the World, hope is everlasting despite the world’s quips or quandaries.

This year, when we bruise, let’s take our tender selves to the Lord - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.*

Until next time my friend,