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A Word for 2019

January 7, 2019 Maggie Getz
A moment of true peace, minutes before we said “I do” | Photo by The Siegers Photo + Video

A moment of true peace, minutes before we said “I do” | Photo by The Siegers Photo + Video

Freedom.

Rooted.

Steadfast.

I’ve been choosing a word of the year since 2016. A new word for each year, and each year, God shows up. While I think about the word and pray about it some before officially choosing it, I’m still not really sure in January what it means for me or if it will affect my year ahead. But then God always does beyond what I imagine He will, revealing more of Himself through that word over the next 12 months.

I didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on my word for 2019, because it came to me quickly, and I knew this word was the right one.

Peace.

Peace in my pregnancy, labor and delivery, and parenting.

Peace in my marriage.

Peace in our families and friendships.

Peace financially.

Peace with our jobs.

Peace at home.

Peace in my heart.

Peace with God.

This peace is the opposite of fear, worry, and anxiety. It’s the opposite of turmoil and war. Peace takes work. It takes trust in the Lord and faith in His plan.

The word “peace” occurs more than 400 times in the Bible. Yes, 400.

Try finding “fear” or “anxiety” that many times. Hint: You won’t. And when you do see “fear,” it’s likely referring to the fear of God, a holy reverence and awe of Him, not a feeling of danger.

A few weeks ago my pastor gave a sermon where he referenced Ephesians 2, and it has really stuck with me. He said Jesus Himself is our peace—and that God actually created peace. Meditating on that helps bring me peace. Our God is not a God of worry and anxiety but of peace.

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.”
— Ephesians 2:14-17

God sent his son, Jesus, to defeat sin and Satan. He destroyed the dividing wall of hostility between us and God, and He offers new, eternal life to everyone—simply asking we confess that we need Him and that we believe in Him. The cross that Jesus died for us on reconciles us to God and puts to death the hostility. It can no longer overtake us or rule us. It’s done for good.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
— Isaiah 9:6

But Jesus is not.

He rose again and is now seated at the throne in heaven. He came and preached peace to all the ends of the earth. Peace is His mission. Peace is His message, and this is the peace that I want to guide my life.

The last few months of my 2018 haven’t been peaceful. They’ve been full of worry, anxiety, doubt, and fear. They’ve looked much different than what I had expected for newlywed life. My husband and I work opposite schedules. We have a few hours to be together on the weekend, but that’s it. There’s no time for joining a group together through our church or for making new friends. No time for the seemingly little things like having breakfast with each other or even washing the dishes together. We both value quality time as our top love language, so having such different schedules has been trying to say the least. I haven’t always run to God for comfort and peace.

My anxiety has shifted off of my body and food—praise God!—as He has brought significant healing into that area of my life. But when I’m not spending as much time in the Word, in prayer, or in community, the anxiety can crop back up in new ways. In these past few months, I’ve wrestled with anxiety in my pregnancy. I’ve worried about my baby and his health, and I’ve developed a rather intense fear of delivery. I’ve faced anxiety around my job, around Charles’ job, around our home and being “ready” for baby, around our finances, and even around my passion of writing and this blog.

This anxiety culminated last month in a panic attack, a first for me and something I felt woefully unprepared for.

It was terrifying, and I didn’t understand what was happening in the moment. After I calmed down, I fell asleep for over an hour. It was as though my body shut down, refusing to carry the weight of anxiety anymore.

As I’ve been processing through each of these things, I’ve written less and less on this blog. I’ve needed time to work through my thoughts and emotions with God, my husband, and those closest to me.

January feels like a new chapter for me and my little family. I keep thinking about the peace of Christ, and I pray this peace will rule in my heart as I have been “called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15) Gratitude truly does change my perspective. When I focus on my blessings, like thinking about this baby boy as a literal miracle, my fear quickly dissipates. When I remember all The Lord has done for me, how He’s given me a new identity and a firm foundation in Him alone, then the stressors of this world become meaningless. Then all I want is to live for Him and to be more like Him.

I love the story of Jesus calming the storm in Luke 8:22-25:

“One day he and his disciples got into a boat, and he told them, ‘Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.’ So they set out, and as they were sailing he fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger. They came and woke him up, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to die!’

Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’

They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, ‘Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him!’”

As I read this passage this week, I noticed the note I had written in the margin: Often we go through storms to experience more of God and more of His glory. He uses the storms to strengthen our faith and trust in Him. But He’s always present in the storm and all-powerful over it.

I imagine God has been waiting for me to come to this point, saying to me, Where is your faith? (Luke 8:25) I have created you for such a time as this. (Esther 4:14) Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. (Jeremiah 1:5) I know the plans I have for you, and I will give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) Now trust in me with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Okay, Holy Spirit, let’s do this. 2019, I’m ready.


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 faith, relationships Tags word of the year, peace, anxiety, fear, worry, pregnancy, ephesians, isaiah, luke
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Look at the Wildflowers

August 21, 2017 Maggie Getz
Photo by Katie Niemiec (follow her here!)

Photo by Katie Niemiec (follow her here!)

Seek first His kingdom.

Jesus’ words in Luke 12 struck me as I read them this past week. You may recognize the passage, often labeled “The Cure for Anxiety.” Do not worry, do not be anxious. God will provide. 

The way The Message paraphrases* verses 22-32 really hits home for me. 

“He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.

“Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.””

For life is more than food and the body more than clothing… Seek first His kingdom.

That sounds great and all, but do I live my life like that? Do I believe this to be true?

I’m working on it, but it can definitely be a struggle for me. 

We’re not born worrying. We’re not born fussing about the things of life, afraid that we won’t be provided for. When do we go from trusting to thinking that we have to figure everything out for ourselves? When does this shift happen in our lives? 

During my week at camp this summer, I learned a lot from the 15-year-old girls in my cabin. Yes, these girls had worries and anxiety. They worried about the things most high schoolers worry about: grades, sports, boys, college, the future. I could relate to them in that way.

But there was something different about them. These girls had just finished their freshman year of high school. They’d experienced more adult situations and more pressure than I ever did at their age, and yet, they still had this untouched quality about them. A childlike faith. 

They believed, and they trusted. 

The place where I noticed this the most might surprise you. 

Whenever we went to the cafeteria, I noticed a difference between these girls and some of the adult leaders. The girls weren’t worried about the quality of the food prepared, the calories consumed, or the nutritional content of what they were eating. They ate what was provided for them, recognizing we were only at camp for a week and if that meant eating a PB&J sandwich every day at lunch, then so be it. 

Meals at the adult table tended to look a bit different. Complaints over the taste of the food. Concern over eating too much fat or carbs or sugar. The decision to eat a meal separate from what was provided in order to stick to a diet or disordered eating habits, or to quiet the fear of consuming whatever food had been provided. 

Eventually I ate all my meals with my high school girls. I wanted their ease; I didn’t want to “fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes.” To do so would have been a waste of energy and brain space. 

Yet we do the exact same thing in life.

We let fear hold us captive.

We complain, we fret, and we stress. We fail to trust God with our day-to-day. We think we know what’s best, and we like to be in charge. 

The camp cafeteria is one small example of how fear and worry can lead us astray. 

Please don’t interpret this as me saying that you should not eat healthy or that you should not spend any time thinking about what to serve for dinner. Steward the physical body you’ve been given well. But remember that it’s temporal. We cannot control all of our health outcomes by the food we eat—just like we cannot control our life outcomes solely by our five-year plan. 

Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all?

Has worrying about your bank account caused it to increase? Has worrying about your next job willed it to happen? Has worrying about your singleness made a husband or wife fall into your lap?

When I'm stressed about whether I've eaten "healthy," when I'm worried about what my body looks like, when I'm fearful about the amount in my savings account, when I'm anxious about next steps in my career—my first instinct is to figure it out myself. To put a plan of action into place and see to it that my way comes to fruition. 

I'm learning to say instead, "God, thy will be done." His will, not mine. 

And it's a process. I want to trust myself first. The root of my fear and worry is pride. Heck, the root of every sin is pride. As a certified worrywart, that's something I've had to come to terms with recently. My worry is a lack of trust. It's relying more on myself than on God. 

It's believing I can be perfect, and I can check off every box, rather than me choosing to serve the only One who is perfect. 

But God reminds me to look at how the wildflowers grow. They don’t labor or toil. He knows what the flowers need. How much more will He do for you and me?

“The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God remains forever.”
— Isaiah 40:8

I’m praying for a childlike faith—a craving for the pure spiritual milk of the Word and growth into the woman God wants me to be. The more time I spend talking to God and reading what He has to say, the more I see what really matters—a relationship with Him—and that my worrying about X, Y, or Z doesn’t change a thing.

Look to the wildflowers, friend. Look to the wildflowers and trust.


*Please note: I called The Message version of the Bible a paraphrase because that’s really what it is. I like it, and I’ve used it many times. I think it can be a useful tool to understand the Bible in today’s context. It’s also great way to get started reading the Bible. 

My bit of advice is that you don’t let it be your only exposure to God’s Word. Utilize commentaries and study Bibles, but first, take God’s Word on its own and soak it up. Think about how it applies to you, rather than automatically asking someone or something else how it should apply. 

Looking for a solid Bible? I am a big fan of the new She Reads Truth Bible, which is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) version, one that scores high on both readability and accuracy. Not to mention it’s the most beautiful Bible I’ve ever seen! With maps, charts, and reading plans, it’s well worth the $40 price tag.


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 faith Tags worry, fear, anxiety, flowers, wildflowers, luke, isaiah, camp
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