5 Bible Verses I Am Holding Close In 2022
2022 is for Him not me.
By Grace K. Bianco
May 2022 be more about Him and less about us.
I call myself a Christian blogger, but majority of my blogs just revolve around my life and various noncontroversial opinions. God is mentioned in majority of them, but there’s only a few that revolve completely around Him.
Well, when I woke up today (January 1, 2022) feeling like a bus hit me due to my late night, I decided I would do my best to still start the New Year off correctly. My first blog of 2022 will revolve around God. It’s the only way to start off this year of writing for me.
When it came to finding five verses, I first decided what parts of my life I would need encouragement in the most. I decided on: a general reminder for life as a whole, marriage/being a wife, my relationship with others, loving others, and mental health/anxiety.
I used some that I already knew, and others that I came across while reading through verses online. These verses were well thought out and are much more than just a blog post.
1. Reminder for the Year
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know what day your Lord will come.” — Matthew 24:42
I wanted a Bible verse that would give me perspective on life as a whole. As I look towards what this New Year may bring, there is only one thing I am promised… I am not guaranteed tomorrow.
We can dream, make goals, and look forward to our futures, but at the end of the day, we may not make it to any of that. Jesus could come back any second. God could decide it’s my time. We were not promised a certain lifespan.
This Bible verse reminds us to make the most of this very second. Every second should be spent doing everything we can to glorify God, because we have no idea what our next second could bring. We have to be ready for the day God decides to take us (whether it be death or a second coming).
2. Marriage
“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” — Proverbs 31:25
As I read through many applicable Bible verses on marriage and the roles between a husband and wife, I wanted one that I truly believed applied to me in my current season of marriage.
My husband and I plan on making a huge life change this year. I can’t go into any details yet, but I know a lot of anxiety could easily come up for the both of us. This is why this Bible verse stood out to me.
When I read this verse, it immediately made me think of how I want to take on this new phase of life. I am known to laugh at many things a little too hard, and I want that part of me to be true in this next season. I am also known to be anxious and struggle with change, but this time, I want to be known for being bold and eager to follow God’s path for my marriage.
For any other wife that may be reading this, Proverbs 31 is a must to study. It teaches us how to work for our families and take care of our homes. Proverbs 31 really shows what the ideal Christian woman looks like.
3. Relationships with Others
“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3
To be honest, this was so close to being the Bible verse I was going to associate with my marriage. After sitting there and thinking for a while, I decided it was so applicable to ANY relationship.
I wouldn’t say I deal with a lot of rivalry or conceit in my various relationships, but I do believe there’s always room for more humility.
The world tells us to put ourselves before EVERYone (spouses, family, and friends). It’s all about doing whatever is best for YOU. Yet, in this Bible verse, God is saying the exact opposite. We are supposed to make OTHERS more significant than ourselves.
4. Love
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” — Luke 6:27–28
My parents raised me with that mindset, and it’s been a journey to figure out what exactly that looks like in real life. See, when I was first told to love my enemies, I felt defensive. I felt like loving my enemies invalidated my feelings towards whatever they did wrong to me.
On the flip side, I ended up becoming a people pleaser. If I was supposed to love my enemies, shouldn’t I get them to love me too? I wanted everyone to like me. I became more obsessed with what they thought of ME rather than what they thought of God “because of me”.
Both of these thought processes are WRONG. Loving those who do us wrong isn’t saying that what they did wrong is right. If they choose to not like us back, that doesn’t make us wrong either. It’s about being more like our forgiving God. If we are to be more like Christ, our love has to be more unconditional.
5. Anxiety
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is praiseworthy — think about such things.” — Philippians 4:8
I’m sure many of my followers already know this, but if you are new here, I have been struggling with anxiety since I was four years old. I have pretty much accepted that it will be a lifelong trial, but I always hold onto hope that God will take this heavy burden from me.
When going into 2022, I really wanted a Bible verse to give me the right perspective on how to HANDLE my anxiety. The Bible is full of verses on fear. In fact, 365 verses include some variation of “Do not be afraid”. In other words, there’s a verse on not being afraid for EVERY day of the year.
I hold those verses close to my heart, and I understand that I don’t have to be afraid with God by my side. I struggle so much with the battle in my mind that I needed a verse to tell me exactly what to do for myself RIGHT NOW in the midst of my worry.
This verse reminds us all to focus on the better things in life. It is basically just saying whatever kind of good is in your life think of that. Anxious, depressed, or just human, it is easy to become overwhelmed by life’s negatives. In 2022, make it a priority to be joyful for what God HAS done.
Final Thoughts
I want this year to consistently point back to God. When (or if) 2023 comes around, I want to look back on 2022, and see what all God did. I want to see more of Him and less of me.
I am sure God will put many other Bible verses in my heart throughout the days to come. I know I will reflect on many more than just the five I listed, but those five are the ones I will use to continually help push me towards God this year.
What about you all? Do any of you have a verse/s that really speaks to you?
May 2022 be full of many blessings, and may 2022 be more about Him and less about us.
*Taken from Canva
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