I've reached the age where post-Christmas gift giving no longer appeals to me. As a kid, I loved the thrill of a prettily wrapped gift. Now? I truly have enough, thank you so much!

Except for the gift of a Star Word. 

This past January, we reintroduced the practice of being gifted a Star Word for Epiphany. We had tried it once my first Epiphany with St. Andrew, but the pandemic made it especially difficult to implement.

Sitting directly below my computer monitor, my word has kept me company these last couple of months.  It's the title of a song from a prominent Broadway musical, so some of those lyrics have also kept me company. 

I'll admit though: I didn't actually look up the definition of the word until today when I went to write this week's reflection. I thought I knew the meaning of the word! Why would I need to look it up? Well, as it turns out, I really only knew the first layer of the definition. I at least had that part right.

But the second? Third? Fourth layer of meaning? When I went to the Oxford English Dictionary, there were 31 layers of meaning recorded. My word is used both as a verb and as an adjective, which provides further nuance and complexity to its meaning. The earliest recorded use in written English is in 1419. 

Looking for my word in scripture presents a different challenge. What is mostly one word with a variety of modifiers in English is at least three different words in Koine Greek--none of which have the same root word. Their meanings are somewhat overlapping and yet distinct from one another.

One such use is in one of my favorite verses of scripture. Although I usually struggle to memorize even simple verses, this one has been written on my heart for a long time: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9).

I didn't have many hopes for a transformative experience with my Star Word this year--I tend to lose my card, forget about it, and am not particularly good at incorporating it into my life. Right now though, it feels like I've been given a Star Gift again. New meanings and layers to something I thought I already knew led me to a promise God laid on my heart long ago. 

How is your Star Gift showing up in your life right now? Have you been surprised by the different meanings of your word, or has it largely been as expected? Send me an email and let me know--I'm curious!