Do you choose a word for the year? Since meeting my wife Robyn, we’ve adopted this practice. Selecting a word for the year provides a framework and focus
Last year, I chose the word quiet. Many of my friends found this humorous since 2018 marked the year of the birth of my daughter Hayley. Interestingly, quiet became a reoccurring invitation to stop and process. Even with a newborn, you can find pockets of quiet.
We find ourselves on the cusp of 2019. I began considering the word for the year a few weeks ago. A part of me wanted to pick a “cool” word like hustle or productivity. No matter how many other words I went through, I could not escape one word.
My word for 2019 is…savor. I fought it. I live my life with a high degree of efficiency. I set my coffee maker the night before so it will automatically brew in the morning, rather than using a French press. My email strategy looks like whack-a-mole attempting to get to zero in my inbox. Those are just a few examples.
Savor challenges me and makes me hungry. Connoisseurs eat a fine piece of steak one bite at a time. The meaningful moments of the day like playing with a child, talking with a spouse, or even reading require discipline to say “no” to other things. Savor requires a singular focus without a timetable.
The word savor challenges me not just for the pleasant moments, but for the arduous moments. We have the choice to complain, retreat, or demand our way. Part of savoring invites us to see every conflict, unfortunate event, and long-term drudgery as a gift from God.
We pay lip service to virtues such as gratitude, patience, contentment, and perseverance. Savor holds these virtues together with one thread – grace leads us to accept the exact present moment Jesus has us. The Good News of the Gospel means we have the necessary resources from Jesus to walk through anything. Not the dismissal of uncomfortable situations.
Savor helps us live out Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It also helps us recognize 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
I find myself coming back to savor for 2019 because Jesus slows us down to ask us this question, “What if you accepted the exact situation I had you?” Not running from it, but embracing it. Not easy, but worth it.
What word have you picked for 2019? Share it in the comment section below.
Well said, sir. Gonna adopt this word practice myself!