Word of the Year 2024

I will be honest: when I chose my 2023 word, I thought I was probably choosing the wrong thing. I chose “shine” because of its subtle sparkle, because shining sounded fun. But a part of me thought I really should choose a virtuous word, one that had something to teach me. “Shine,” I thought, was a reminder to myself to let myself be seen instead of hiding, rather than a series of lessons to learn.

But “shine” was the perfect word for this year.

What I needed to learn was to lean in to the person I am. I tend to fade into the background and hide what I think, always afraid it won’t be heard the way I meant it or won’t be accepted. I needed to let go of the anxiety and fear and shame–so much shame. I needed to learn that I am also just as capable of speaking as anyone else, but that it’s okay to share when I choose and not when I don’t. I’m a slow processor, and it’s okay to wait to speak and consider what I really want to say. We shine when we accept who we are and the gifts that come with that.

I also had a lot to learn about the light of Christ in me. When I chose this word, I was also thinking of the verses about not hiding our light under a bushel. I wanted to learn to shine for Jesus, and I kind of had the idea that it would require more speaking up, more explicit messages from me. I really felt like learning to shine for Christ required me to be really different from who I am. But instead, I learned more about being myself, and I started to consider more about what I have to offer rather than how I need to radically change.

I still have a lot to learn about this word, which has been richer than I ever imagined in my life this year. I look forward to learning even more as I move into 2024 and the new word I’m choosing: 

Cheers!

It has been a really hard year in many ways. We lost both of my grandmothers, and then lots of personal challenges have appeared again and again, lots of things to learn and wrestle with. I realized I’ve drifted far from my younger self who celebrated everything. I need to relearn how to celebrate well, both for myself and those whose lives I influence.

Our pastor preached about celebration on the third week of Advent, and about how Jesus celebrated with events like the wedding at Cana. He talked about the ways Jesus would have celebrated, which was an idea I hadn’t given very much time. I intellectually understood the love and joy of Christ, but have not lived like I believed it, as I have lately found myself swimming in anxiety and fear. Again.

I have a lot to internalize about the love of Jesus for us, about the way he thinks about us, and about how to find joy in the life in which I am present–not how I wish it would be or how I think it ought to be, but the one I have. Cheers to this year, and to learning and growing in joy and in love, and in celebration.