Thursday, January 6, 2011

An Action Verb


I was reading about Sal Giunta, the U.S. Army staff sergeant who recently received the Medal of Honor. What he did – which he thinks was no big deal – went far beyond what any of us would consider heroic. He fully deserves the Medal of Honor and any other recognition people want to pass in his direction.

That story set me to thinking.

A lot of my online friends are selecting a word for 2011, a word that will describe what they are about, or hope to be about, or hope to accomplish. Jeanne Damoff selected “rest.” Michael Perkins picked “story.” Jennifer Dukes-Lee picked “imperfect,” which is absolutely brilliant. Bonnie Gray at Faith Barista is hosting a blog carnival today on exactly that subject – pick a word for 2011.

I thought about this for a long time. Choosing one word isn’t as easy as it might appear. I tried several on but discarded them. Nothing seemed to fit.

Then it came, unexpectedly, like a lot of things do. I was washing dishes. I toyed with it through the drying and getting out the garbage for tomorrow (a major undertaking; this week our community has gone to curbside recycling, weekly trash pickup and a maximum of five bags of trash per week; I feel tres California). I stuffed all the trash into the bags and kept thinking about the word.

Yes, this was it.

Honor. The verb. Not the noun.

I like this word. I like the fact that it means more than simply “encourage.”

You can honor a person for something they’ve done, something wonderful or heroic, Like Sgt. Giunta, or you can honor them simply because the person is.

But then I wondered: can you really honor someone simply for their being?

The answer was obvious. Of course you can.

It’s because we are all made in God’s image, and that fact alone means that each of us are worthy to be honored and revered and deemed valuable. Beauty is immaterial. Wealth and power and position don’t matter. How high or low an IQ we have is no consideration. Simply because we are made in God’s image, we are worthy to be honored. All of us.

So I’m setting off on a pilgrimage of sorts. This will be my year to find ways to let people know they are honored, simply because they are.

And honor is an action verb.


To see what others have selected as their word for 2011, please visit Bonnie Gray’s Faith Barista site.

Photograph: Rose by Vojko Kalan via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

28 comments:

  1. I really like the concept of an action verb.

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  2. you have actively honored me by your visits and help and honorable mentions on my posts. I too like the action verb side of the word. I extend honor to you for your service to many others as well.
    Great choice.

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  3. Honor? Love that. And I think honor is a word that encompasses who you are very well -- all the definitions of it.

    My word? Strategery (Okay, not really.)

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  4. I'm with Michael...an action verb is a great word.

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  5. It seems that you're using a better word for what I've been calling "respect." It's something EVERYONE gets just because they're God's creation, and doesn't have to be earned or deserved.

    And I love the idea of making it an action verb.

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  6. love it.

    actions speak so much louder than words anyway!

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  7. Great word, Glynn. A quiet word that speaks volumes. Inspired by a fellow Iowan, no less. Love it.

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  8. I pulled my word, do, from my life verse, Phil 4:13. I figure it will help me make decisions and get out of my comfort zone more. Like now, in deciding to comment...

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  9. Glynn, one of my favorite verses... We talked about it as a church this past year in a Relationships Series... is Romans 12:10.

    "Outdo one another in showing honor."

    We tried to make it a holy competition, since the Bible put it in such a fun way!

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  10. I love honor as an action verb -- that's brilliant, Glynn. And I think so often we forget to honor those around us -- our coworkers, our loved ones, our friends. A simple word of praise, a thank you, a note of encouragement -- all ways to honor in the everyday. It's kind of like love, isn't it...but much more original! ;)

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  11. Wide Open Spaces picked the word "Empty" and used it as a noun.

    Honor is a good one too, especially in a time and culture that does whatever it can to "dishonor" people and traditions -- and God

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  12. Great choice! You have done and still do a great deal of honoring every day.

    I didn't know about Bonnie's blog carnival when I scheduled today's post 2nd Annual Give Me a Word. I love serendipity.

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  13. I always did have trouble with those passive verbs. :)

    This is wonderful, Glynn. Really resonates with me, because God's new direction for me is similar.

    And now I will maybe start towel-drying dishes instead of leaving them in the rack to air-dry. Who knows what God can show me?

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  14. I went with a verb too, after discarding my original choice which was a noun. I needed it to be something that I can DO, which is why I chose Depend as well as Delight. I think your word Honor is an excellent, excellent choice. Thanks for sharing this, Glynn. Looking forward to the year ahead!

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  15. this word thing is really catching on!

    i have not thought of one.

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  16. how fitting that your word would depict your character ...

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  17. Great word, Glynn. God bless you in the new year.

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  18. Ah, Glynn! Beautiful word. You already do this so often and so well. I'll enjoy witnessing your acts of honor -- at least the ones you do online. I'm sure they will abound wherever you go.

    I hadn't thought of it before, but "rest" is a noun and a verb as well. I like that. To find it (the noun) I must strive to do it (the verb).

    And now I'm off to Bonnie's . . .

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  19. Honor as a verb. A great word for the year. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. Others have said it well already, Glynn, but I think "honor" fits you well. It's what you already do, but someone like you, with so much honor, would naturally want to do it better. I am honoring you for your choice!

    Last week, I chose "empty" and was specific about it being a verb. Today, however, I am joining Bonnie, too, and considering what empty might be as an adjective. Oh, these words, aren't they wonderful? And painful?

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  21. I agree Glynn -- you do this everyday. Honour -- people. happenings. life.

    Thank you!

    My word for the year is Renewal.

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  22. Honor--a wonderful word to grace a year with!

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  23. You've chosen a beautiful word for the year, Glynn. Like a rose among a hill of grassland. You stand out. And will be blessing others to stand out, too. So special is how this word came to you. Unexpectedly. I imagine that is how others will feel too. Honored you shared this start of the journey!

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  24. I love it! Honor (actiion verb) is a great word to go with for 2011!! I'm glad to have found your blog through the Faith Jam. Hope you will visit me - http://thecreatorspalette.com

    ~Melanie

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