Have you read the book "Eat, Pray, Love" or perhaps seen the film which stars Julia Roberts? It's about one woman's spiritual journey, the people she meets along the way and the conversations she has with them and with God. One conversation particularly caught my attention. It was about words. The author and her companion were discussing words to describe cities of the world, trying to find one word to summarize each city. (If you're a Portsmouth or Southampton football supporter, then I suspect certain words have already sprung to mind however I'd encourage you to think of some other characteristic that summarizes the city). Elizabeth Gilbert herself chose "achieve" for New York and "succeed" for Los Angeles. What might you choose for London, Manchester or Edinburgh.
Inevitably, the conversation moved on to choosing a word for oneself – a much harder task and one with which she struggled, reflecting on it for several weeks before deciding she knew what words to reject but not what to accept. Is it the same for you? Have you ever tried this exercise or done something similar? It's not easy but it can take us down some intriguing paths.
As you think about the words you might choose, whether they be for cities, friends, yourselves, I pray that you will find the Word of God alongside and that you will grow in the love and knowledge of this Word.