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My Word of the Year: 6 Months In

June 18, 2020 Maggie Getz
maggie getz word of the year check in

Joy.

I chose joy as my word of the year back in early January, and, goodness, the world has sure looked different than I think any of us ever expected coming into 2020. We’ve witnessed a pandemic, stay-at-home orders and shutdowns, sweeping unemployment, brutal murders, peaceful protests, terrifying riots, and political division (to put it lightly).

I chose joy because of my own internal circumstance—hormones, lack of sleep, self-doubt, anger, and anxiety. I chose joy thinking of my physical and mental states. I had no idea what would soon be happening all around me.

Can I still experience joy when the world feels like it’s falling apart?

As a believer in Jesus Christ, the answer is yes. It’s not an easy answer, but it is a simple one. Christ provides joy in all circumstances, trials, and tests. He provides hope in the situations that feel beyond hopeless. He offers rest for our weary souls and the peace that surpasses all understanding.

The big question is whether we believe that.

Here’s what James had to say:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

A little background: James is the half-brother of Jesus. He was with Jesus for most of their lives, but he was skeptical of His ministry. After seeing his brother die and then seeing the resurrected Christ, James became a strong believer, disciple, and pillar of the church. He also was martyred for his faith.

So James understands the testing of his faith. He understands trials and persecution. He was living in the time of Jesus, and he was one of the very first disciples of our Lord at a time when people weren’t exactly super friendly toward Christianity. Sound familiar?

James tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds. The testing of our faith produces perseverance. I often have to repeat that to myself and meditate on it—and still the wonder of this truth continues to awe me.

Can I have joy when:

  • COVID runs rampant

  • Business shut down

  • The economy tanks

  • I lose my job

  • I feel depressed or anxious

  • I have to home-school my kids

  • All mom’s groups are called off

  • My marriage is falling apart

  • My retirement account looks bleak

  • My wedding is postponed

  • The long-awaited vacation is cancelled

  • A friendship falls apart

  • A loved one receives a diagnosis

  • The pregnancy test is negative, again, after months of trying

  • Riots continue throughout the country

  • Church is still online only

  • My friend is far from God

  • And I am exhausted, frustrated, sad, angry, overwhelmed, all of the above?

Can you have joy in the midst of this? These situations are all very real. They’re just a sample of the circumstances affecting either myself or the people around me. They’re all difficult and anxiety-inducing. They all require us to put on the armor of God and trust that He will go to battle on our behalf.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
— Ephesians 6:8-10

I am continually learning how to have joy in all circumstances. God keeps pressing “joy” upon my heart, reminding me of my word for 2020 and all that He promises to do in His Word.

He is faithful.

He is righteous.

He is merciful.

He is just.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you at the proper time…”
— 1 Peter 5:6

He can be trusted, always. We need more of Him and less of ourselves. Humble yourself and exalt the Lord. Put things in their right order in light of eternity, and the troubles here on earth won’t seem quite so terrifying.

I have to preach this to myself on pretty much a daily basis. I read the Bible, pray, talk with my fellow believers, listen to encouraging podcasts and sermons, and remind myself of the joy I have in God. It is the greatest gift. I’m asking God to cultivate this fruit within me, every day, no matter what circumstances I’m facing.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law..”
— Galatians 5:22-23
In faith Tags joy, word of the year, james, galatians, 1 peter, covid, peace
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A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

November 19, 2019 Maggie Getz
Photo by Katie Niemiec

Photo by Katie Niemiec

Let’s talk about a gentle and quiet spirit.

I can’t really remember a time in my life when I was called “quiet.” Nor have I really been deemed “gentle.” Adjectives like “talkative,” “outgoing,” “independent,” and “ambitious” more typically fit the bill. To this day, I can vividly recall the moment in my freshman high school classroom in which I leaned over in my desk to talk to a friend in the row next to me. My desk promptly fell over, with me still in it, much to my teacher’s and my own dismay.

Talkative? Check.

So you can imagine why in all the years I’d heard the phrase “gentle and quiet spirit,” I simply brushed it aside.

I’ve been slowing reading through 1 Peter the past few weeks, and In 1 Peter 3, the apostle Peter talks about the inward characteristics that make a woman beautiful. Rather than focusing on the physical and the external, Peter emphasizes how much God cares about the heart. In fact, he names one quality in particular:

“Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the weaving of gold ornaments or fine clothes. Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes.”
— 1 Peter 3:3-4


I like looking at how other versions of the Bible translate this same passage:

“... You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within…” (NLT)

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” (NKJV)

“... Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit…” (NIV)

Real beauty isn’t defined by a great haircut, jewelry, or clothes. Real beauty is what’s inside the heart—the incorruptible gentle and quiet spirit.

Here's where I think we get tripped up. Peter isn’t saying women cannot wear jewelry. He isn’t saying women cannot be perceived as physically pretty. What he’s saying is that your beauty cannot rule you. Our physical attributes fade away. They die with our bodies on this earth.

God is after the internal.

Godly womanhood is imperishable. It’s the kind of beauty that lasts a lot longer than any waterproof mascara.

But, How on earth can I measure up to this gentle, quiet woman? That’s not me. I’m the chatty one, the one who got in trouble for talking too much at school.

You might be saying the same thing. Or maybe you’ve never thought of yourself as having a gentle and quiet spirit because you’re a driven career woman, you speak your mind, and you love talking to other people.

Peter’s description absolutely can be us, extrovert or not.

If we think of the woman Peter describes as simply one who is introverted, soft-spoken, and not ambitious, then we totally miss the point. Gentleness and quietness are qualities you can practice and grow into. They’re traits I’m learning to appreciate more as I get older. Gentleness and quietness are strengths. They’re characteristics of a strong woman of the Lord. Jesus was described as gentle. And gentleness is a fruit of the spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
— Galatians 5:22-23

Recently God’s been showing me why gentleness and quietness are beautiful—and how I can actually be that while still being chatty and outgoing.

At the core, these characteristics are defined by a reliance on God.

A quiet soul trusts the Lord. A quiet soul gives control to God and knows His ways are best. A quiet soul is not anxious or worried. A quiet soul is content in Christ alone. A quiet soul submits to the Father.

If you look back a few verses in 1 Peter 3, you’ll see how Peter describes the beauty of submission: submitting to your husband and ultimately submitting to the Lord.

That is the quietness that makes us beautiful.

I can easily fixate on outward beauty. I enjoy fashion and makeup. I like physical activity and eating well. I know God wants us to steward our bodies responsibly and in a way that honors Him. But we’re not to honor our physical bodies more than Christ. When clean eating, exercise routines, meal planning, and my shopping budget get bigger than God, it’s a problem. When my hair, makeup, clothing, shoes, and the definition of my ab muscles take up more brain space than Christ, I have a major issue.

Where is my heart in all of this?

When I’m concerned with those above things, I’m a woman striving, competing, and placing hope in my physical body. That doesn’t sound like a gentle and quiet spirit at all. That sounds like a woman who’s stressed out and worried way too much about the temporal. God doesn’t see that as beautiful.

Beauty is a woman whose heart loves, trusts, and finds full satisfaction in the Lord.

What if we lived in a world where Instagram likes were determined solely by a person’s heart? Where holiness outweighed physical beauty every single time?

I think we can start to create that kind of world. But we have to encourage one another. We have to keep returning to God’s Word to know the truth when we’re bombarded with everything but. The culture we live in doesn’t want to equate beauty with a gentle and quiet spirit. You can’t sell a gentle and quiet spirit.

Framing beauty in the way Peter describes is so much better. There’s something incredibly freeing about it. We don't have to get stuck on the merry-go-round of culture's ever-changing beauty ideals. God's definition of beauty isn't changing. It's from the heart. 

We can pray for a heart that matches the Lord's. A heart that rests in Him. A woman fully at peace because her hope is in her King. There's nothing more beautiful than that.


If you want to talk more about Jesus Christ and faith and what-the-heck-is-all-this-stuff, shoot me a message. I love meeting new people, whether virtually or in person, and gabbing about life. 

And if you'd like to know more of my story, you can read my testimony here.

Truly, He makes beautiful things.

In body image + beauty Tags beauty, gentleness, quietness, gentle and quiet spirit, 1 peter, galatians, bodyimage
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