It’s now my eighth year for choosing a word to guide my growth. I found that resolutions aren’t extremely effective, and this concept allows me to focus on exactly what part of my life is lacking. It’s always a difficult decision when choosing my word. I love words, and find a connection with quite a few of them. This year I’ve chosen the word “enough” – and now I’ll try to explain why.
In this social media driven world, we are constantly told we are enough. Ironically, these messages are immediately followed by heavily edited pictures of people that we don’t know… and comparison begins. Not only are we comparing apples to oranges, we are envious of a picture that probably took at least 20 attempts, and major filter help. By definition, enough is defined as : “adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire”. For this reason, I don’t allow myself to smooth the wrinkles on my face before posting a picture. If you know me, you are well aware that I have a fairly typical amount of wrinkles on my 46-year-old face. I have hips, and big hair, and other flaws that make me hesitate before posting. But to me, it seems hypocritical to eliminate these negative characteristics online if I must walk around with them in real life. In this case, I pray that the word enough will help me to post realistic pictures and view social media for what it truly is – a way to communicate my experiences and feelings to others – without distorting the image or exaggerating the facts. I expect, that in order to support this goal, I’ll ultimately use less social media. But when I am on Facebook, I’ll be more aware of what I post and how I respond to what I see.
Next, I’d like to become more aware of how I use my time. Am I getting enough of what I truly need -rest, relationships, respect? Have I had enough of certain negative aspects of my daily life -excessive planning, over committing, toxic relationships? I’m hoping to discover a better balance of what I had found to be enough in the past to what is more acceptable and practical for my current season of life. An example of this, is that I am posting this blog post about my word of the year on January 8th – EIGHT DAYS INTO THE YEAR. Gasp. Although my right eye is twitching because I didn’t get it out there on January 1st, I am actually OK with it. Having it out there at all is enough. I’m trying to remove the hurdles that I put in front of myself over and over. Being enough isn’t being the first, best, skinniest, youngest, most creative. But that’s OK, too.
Finally, I’m hoping to dive a bit deeper into the Bible to see what my God has to say about what is enough. I’ve chosen the following scripture verse for the year. It has been a favorite of mine for quite a while. As a young mom of four, my Mop’s group verse was John 10:10 (NIV) “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full”. So much to think about here. To the full – not overflowing -causing us stress or anxiety. Not unfulfilled -leaving us craving more. Enough. Just right. That’s what I’m seeking in 2020. And for the rest of my years, too. I’ll do my best to update throughout the next 12 months and hopefully you will share your growth with me, too. Happy new year!
word love 