My Two Words for 2019: Rest & Community

This is the fifth year that I’ve chosen a word to guide my goals for the coming year. I find words much more flexible and interesting than a list of resolutions.

My 2018 word was cultivate. It was a somewhat last minute choice (as opposed to some years, this year included, where I have my upcoming words in mind for months) and really wasn’t thought out. Cultivate didn’t guide my actions or intentions for the year. I don’t think I mentioned it on the blog after that initial post and that’s pretty indicitive of the role it played in general.

But now it’s 2019 and this year, I’m choosing 2 words.

Rest

It’s so easy to work all the time. I have the type of personality that feels satisfied by working and getting things done. But it has become increasingly clear to me that rest – intentional, scheduled, non-optional rest – is essential. I need to rest for my own mental health. I also believe that the Bible calls us to rest and that it’s an important way to show obedience and understanding that work isn’t a measure of my worth as a person or a method of salvation.

I’m not 100% sure what rest is going to look like through 2019. I want to do some reading about the Biblical idea of Sabbath and rest which I’m sure will expand my practice. I’m planning on taking a weekly Sabbath – not working on Sundays despite the fact that as a teacher it can be difficult to do so especially if I have any sort of obligations on Saturday. I’ve already put into place some structures for when and how I’m going to accomplish work tasks throughout the week and have asked Brian to hold me to this commitment.

Community

I was already pondering rest as a word for the year when another word kept coming up in my life. Brian and I had a big discussion about the role of community in our lives and how we want to continue intentionally spending time with people in the coming year. Generally, community is a word we’re going to employ in our lives together.

Our plans include additional afternoons with the college students who attend our church (something we began last spring), and more dinners and game nights with friends. Personally, I want to be more open to spontaneous social events with friends and more willing to participate in local opportunities. It’s easier to stay home alone than intentionally live life with other people, but the rewards of doing life together are much greater than doing it alone.