This year, I was inspired to choose a ‘Word of the Year’ for the first time. If you haven’t heard of the concept before, here’s a brief introduction.
What is a Word of the Year?
A ‘Word of the Year’ is basically an anchoring word or concept you choose to focus on throughout the year.
In the words of Elizabeth Rider, choosing a ‘Word of the Year’ helps you set an “intention, a theme per se, for how you want your year to flow”.
Lord knows that I have the tendency to get overwhelmed in the rush, chaos, and flurry of life… so I thought that choosing an anchoring word would be a great way to ground myself when things get crazy.
If you want to learn more about how to select a ‘Word of the Year’ that works for YOU, check out the following articles:
PROPAGATE
So now for my word of the year (which I hinted about in a recent IG post and y’all wanted to hear about it so here goes!)
Definition
Before I selected this word as my Word of the Year, I really only thought of this term as it related to gardening/planting. Propagation is a way to “breed specimens of (a plant or animal) by natural processes from the parent stock”, according to the dictionary.
I love taking celery or lettuce roots, putting them in a bowl with a little bit of water, setting them on my windowsill, and waiting for them to grow. If you haven’t tried propagating your veggie scraps or plant cuttings, you’ve got to!
Meaning
To propagate is to revive. An ostensibly useless celery root base becomes a mother bringing new life into the world (in the form of celery greens, of course). A dreadfully sad plant clipping becomes lonely no longer when he grows new friends.
Propagation exhibits resilience and adaptability. I pray that you and I both exhibit resilience and adaptability in the face of whatever God throws at us in 2021.
Relational Application
I think we focus on finding new relationships too often and neglect investing in ‘old’ ones. In the new year, I want to propagate an old friendship that dissolved. This friendship was incredibly strong but hit a road bump a couple years ago due to a misunderstanding, mental illnesses, and distance.
At the beginning of the year I intentionally called this old friend of mine with the mission of addressing our falling apart and repairing our friendship after years spent apart.
We missed several important years of each other’s lives that we cannot possibly get back. Instead, we have to take a clipping of something ‘old’ and propagate it.
Work Application
One of my big work goals for 2021 is to become a smart worker, rather than just a hard worker. Efficiency is the only way I can make this happen. Propagation is all about efficiency and using what you have to grow something of its own.
Since a majority of my work is in content creation, I want to become more efficient in that area- using what I have already created to make something new, rather than taking double the time to create something from scratch.
I also can use the term in respect to repurposing content across numerous platforms. I have no doubt that doing so will increase my efficiency!
Spiritual Application
We all go through seasons of ups and downs as it pertains to adhering to our faith. The idea of “faith as small as a mustard seed” that is in the Bible resonates with so many because it ensures that even when we feel weak and disconnected with God, our faith is purposeful in serving a powerful God.
When I inevitably fall into seasons where I FEEL disconnected with the Lord, I pray that I cling onto the idea of propagation. As long as I have faith in an All-Mighty Lord, I cannot possibly disconnect from His love and presence.
Your Turn...
If you haven’t done so already, I challenge YOU to pick a ‘Word of the Year’ that you can use to anchor you throughout the trials and tribulations that 2021 might have in store. Comment what your word is in the comment section and let’s encourage one another!
