Word of the year

Do you know about the trend that has been going around for a few years in which people choose a primary focus word for the year in place of a list of resolutions?  A few years ago I was like “yeah, that seems solid.  I should do that.”  So I agonized over what word to pick and finally half-heartedly landed on one.  Within a few weeks I knew that the word I had chosen was not really in my heart.  I threw it out and decided that the word thing wasn’t for me.

At the close of 2018, a fleeting thought of “should I try that again?” resurfaced.  I shot it down pretty quickly with reminders of how that had gone in the past.  So I sketched out a few basic and “easy” goals for the new year and felt pretty prepared.  Then, about two days into 2019, I sensed a word placed on my mind: SATISFIED.

The conversation in my head was something like this:

Good word, but I already decided I’m not doing that thing again.

But did you know that you need to be satisfied in this area?

Stop.  It’s such a trendy idea anyway.  I don’t like trendy.

I’ve seen your remodeling preferences.  You like trendy.

And then a few minutes later… Ok, you’re right.  I need that word this year.

Once I thought over it for a few minutes, I realized that satisfied was exactly what I needed.  I needed to learn how to be satisfied in the way that God has and is writing my personal story; to be satisfied with the people who are in my life; to be satisfied in my past, present, and future; to be satisfied in who I am now as well as who I will be later, with space and grace in between for growing.  And this time the word was planted in my heart.  The word even invaded my passwords so that it could be before me as a reminder whenever possible.  Even still, I realize that a whole year has passed, and I have certainly not conquered a satisfied outlook on life.  But I feel as though this year of focus on satisfaction has allowed for the beginning of an ongoing journey. 

Photo credit: Kami Couch @ kamicouch.com

A couple months later, I did a doubletake and noticed that a second word was consistently recurring in my thoughts and even influencing my decisions.  You know, God is tricky to sneak not one but TWO words into my year.  The second word—INTENTIONAL—was just as deeply placed on my heart.  Things like reaching out to people, actively investing in friends and family, serving my nieces and nephews, and creating a healthy lifestyle are not things that just happen.  Sometimes it’s for lack of desire and sometimes it is for lack of time.  That’s why being intentional is so, so important and necessary.  Again, this past year of focusing on being intentional is not a completed journey, but I have taken the initial steps so that I can continue allowing this word to impact my life.

(By the way, I rapidly failed all of my more specific goals for 2019 and never ended up picking them up again.)

While I want to continue developing “satisfied” and “intentional,” God has already given me a new word for 2020!  I am excited that He is the one taking the initiative on this because that is what really causes the success in the end. 

I’ve obviously changed my mind on the whole “word for the year” thing.  It actually is a cool idea, even if it is trendy.  But my caution to you is not to pick a word yourself.  In a sense, let the word pick you.  Rather than stressing over locating the perfect word, wait until something is placed deep enough to stay planted all year…and then for the rest of your life.