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What was your Word for the Year?



I have told a few people about my family’s word of the year. You know about this trend, no doubt. Equal parts resolution and trendy reminder to oneself of something you want to achieve.

For my family, it came almost as a whim. We had chosen the word adventure the year before. It fit within the context of what we were going through. 

Honestly, the adventure hasn’t ended, but I felt a need for us to grow in the place where this adventure had taken us. 

Extra. 

It was fun to me because of how my teenagers were using the word. Extra. If someone is doing anything they view as unnecessary or over the top, they are considered extra. You'll have no problem imagining that my kids see me as extra several times every day. If you want to see extra, come and watch a teenager react when you tell them something they don’t want to hear. 

But we chose the word extra. We said we wanted to engage in life more than we had before. We wanted to represent Christ as we related with other people in our world. 

Were we doing this before? Maybe, but life's adventure had caused us to cocoon ourselves for a while. It was a much needed respite in between periods of our lives. 

So what would extra mean for my family?

It meant we wouldn’t say no when approached with an opportunity to be involved, to serve, to give. This didn’t mean we would always say yes. We still try to have some balance in our lives. But it did mean we would attempt to recall our stated purpose and goal. Remembering that, we would strive to live...extra. 

What we are learning is that living extra is difficult. But it’s not the most difficult thing. Anyone can choose to do more. Anyone can make the choice to stand when they want to sit. Anyone can choose to go when they would rather stay. 

What is difficult is choosing to live extra with joy. It does no good for anyone if I live extra and tell you how much I despise living that way. 

To live extra with joy is to live how Jesus modeled for us. 

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ~Luke 9:51 For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~Hebrews 12:2

It means the calendar is often full. It means we do our best to love people in ways that matter. In ways that make a difference. We choose to make an impact. Because when the status quo is all most people know, we want to be extra.


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