There are lots of options for the 2020 word of the year, and I bet you can easily think of quite a few others. Some that I thought of included: Coronavirus, Covid-19, Pandemic, Mask-up, Systemic Racism, Political Division, and there are others.
However, I’ve heard the word pivot more in 2020 than in all my years as a basketball player and basketball coach. That spans over 40 years since I started playing before the age of 5 years old!! The “old ways” have given way to “new ways” of living life. Instead of calling it a change, we have decided to call everything a “pivot” from the old way.
- Doctors now hold virtual doctor appointments – Pivot
- Restaurants limit seating capacity and offer more carry-out options – Pivot
- People work from home instead of in the office – Pivot
- Teachers learn to teach without students in the same room – Pivot
- Students use technology for school, not just gaming or socializing – Pivot
- People have learned to suddenly quarantine due to exposure to Covid – Pivot
All these “pivots” are really changes that have occurred in our world. However, as we are thankful this Thanksgiving, we should not forget the change (or should I say pivot) in our lives when God sent His Son, Jesus to be our Savior. I chose the word Pivot as my 2020 “Word of the Year” because Jesus has changed everything…and He always will as we put our faith in Him.
[Jesus said] “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17
That pivot by God to provide us with a Savior is still, and always will be, reason to give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving!
Julian Petzold, Ph.D.
Executive Director