This Is What Happens When You Pick a Word of the Year

I never knew what would happen if I picked a word of the year until I did. And maybe that’s where you are today. You hear talk at the end and beginning of every year about words of the year. You see lists of ideas popping up on Pinterest. Friends enthusiastically sharing their special word.

But then there’s a whole lot of silence, and it leaves you wondering what actually happens with those words. Are they forgotten? Ineffective? Perhaps they shape lives in ways too personal to share online.

This is for you if you’ve never picked a word of the year and are genuinely curious what it’s all about. It’s also for you if you’ve chosen a word before and didn’t know what to do with it. Or gave up on it, on accident of course.

Let’s address the “what happens” question first. I understand you might have more questions, as well, like “Do you have any word ideas?” and How do I know which word to choose?” We’ll get to those too.

What Happens When You Pick a Word of the Year

The first year I picked a word, it was the word that found me. We were months into 2019, and hesitant to do one more thing just because everyone else was, I’d given a word of the year very little thought. That is, until a word kept bouncing into my thoughts as if asking me to do something with it. So God and I chatted about it.

What does it mean? I asked.

I want you to find out, He replied.

But how?

Keep asking.

It was vague and intriguing. I knew that there were endless slants and layers to this single, short word (open). And simply that God was asking me to press in, keep turning it over, keep asking what it meant and how to live it.

Since I’ve got to see something to remember it, I took my first step towards word-of-the-year growth by creating a wallpaper for my phone with my word handwritten across it. I’ve gotten better at making graphics since then, but I’ve kept the practice of putting my word on my phone every year since.

This is what I discovered: Every time I reached for my phone, I was reminded to lean into open. As an Enneagram 9 keen on keeping it together and stubbornly needing nothing, open prompted questions about my guarded nature. I began to see how I hid behind a fabricated image, content to listen to others, but reluctant to answer my own questions. I knew others far better than I let anyone know me.

As an Enneagram 9 keen on keeping it together and stubbornly needing nothing, OPEN prompted questions about my guarded nature.

Walls have a way of getting higher and denser as time goes on because we add bricks on autopilot. We wiggle out of conversations that feel too vulnerable because we can’t even handle sharing where we’d prefer to eat dinner. A world that’s safe and peaceful and uncomplicated is deeply appealing to an Enneagram 9.

But the truth is, that world is a bit suffocating. It starves off passion. Normalizes numb. A common description for Enneagram 9s is that they live half-awake, and that was me for a long time.

Open began to gently nudge me into deeper, meaningful conversations. It beckoned me to engage when it would be easier to retreat. Stay present when tasks and to-do’s could keep me running in circles. Name my wants and needs out loud.

While my word of the year shifted the way I related to the people around me, it also drew me into honesty with God which revived my faith. Both my upward and outward relationships grew gradually, through curious yeses and baby steps. The word (open) provided the direction, and the repetition of choosing it over and over again created a habit that led to growth.

I’m here to say that a word can change your life if you hold it up to God and ask Him often what to do with it. You’ll hang onto that first word years later, even as you pick other words, because it still has more to teach you.

I’m here to say that a word of the year can change your life if you hold it up to God and ask Him often what to do with it.

How Do I Pick A Word?

I hope my story inspires you to find out for yourself what would happen if you picked a word of the year for 2024. But I don’t want to leave you here, wondering and still without a word. If you need some ideas, here’s a list of 200 words I created especially for you. They’re listed alphabetically and I chose each one because of its potential to nudge you towards missional neighboring.

Missional neigboring in the simplest terms is getting close to Jesus and letting your neighbors get to know you so your faith has a ripple-effect in your neighborhood. I trace my passion for helping you discover the joys of this way of living back to that first word of the year God nudged into my thoughts.

Open is on my word of the year idea list, but so are many, many more options. I encourage you to pray over the list, asking God to highlight which one’s for you. Print out the list and circle the ones you keep coming back to. If you don’t know for sure which one is your top choice, rest in this: God can use any of these words to open up your heart to Him and the people around you.

One more thing! I’d love the honor of praying for you as you lean into your word of the year next year. Comment below with your first name and word, and I’ll add you to my list to pray over throughout the year.

Let’s take a moment now to pray together:

God, You’re good and kind, patient and gentle. We invite You to direct our word of the year decision. You, who know us best and always call us up into the best versions of ourselves, show us how we can best grow in 2024.

Just a friend over here in your corner,

Missional Neighboring 101

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