6-7

Recently, Dictionary.com announced its word of the year. To quote, the word is chosen by reflecting on “social trends and global events that defined that year.” Some past examples are as follows: demure (2024), hallucinate (2023), woman (2022), allyship (2021) and pandemic (2020).

The word of the year for 2025? 6-7.

6-7 is a slang term that has evolved from a secular song released a year ago in December. It quickly made its way into the world of basketball, and from there it was short work for it to start appearing everywhere. Well, everywhere, perhaps, except my vocabulary. I remember reading references to the trend months ago, talking about teachers in the public school system being frustrated by the seemingly random use of the word.

But what does 6-7 mean?

Dictionary.com says this: “Perhaps the most defining feature of 6-7 is that it’s impossible to define…It’s meaningless, ubiquitous, and nonsensical.” The word can take on whatever connotation the user wishes—including annoying responses (“How are you?” “6-7.”), as a dismissive answer, an interjection, or when indecisive, somewhat like a verbal shrug.

What does choosing a word that doesn’t even really have a meaning say about the global position of humanity? I cringe to imagine.

Here we are, clutching at a word that you can’t even grasp because there is no substance. And that is a very good illustration of where many people are finding themselves.

We’ve worked so long and hard to get rid of all fences, lines, rules, and boundaries. We say we want freedom from societal expectation, from other people’s opinions, from whatever binds and restricts what we want to do.

But it isn’t making anyone happy.

We were created by a God we cannot comprehend. It was His delight to give us free will. However, our very souls know He is greater than we are. Because the soul recognizes a supreme God, there is unease and insecurity when we step away from submission to His laws. We are like boats without anchors, kites without strings, footballs bouncing across a field. There is no order, no safety, no stability.

1 Corinthians 14:40 says “Let all things be done decently and in order.”  Our God is a God of order. Sometimes, it is true, we get caught up in our ideas of order and forget they are different from God’s. While we often focus on the small physical things (exactly what shoes are acceptable, how a hostess ought to receive her guests, maybe even which drawer in the kitchen towels belong in), God is much more interested in the heart and our submission to Him.

Interestingly enough, true submission to God also requires that we submit to the order of His Church. Although my feelings may sometimes be aroused when I see how things are carried out or decisions are made, it is vital I have an innate understanding that my safety and security is in abiding within this structure.

Our anchors must be steadfast in Him. Our respect and trust for and in our Heavenly Father will be a grounding power that will give us always a safe place to land, even amid the confusion around us. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). There are many who are nearly drowning in confusion. It is easy to find ourselves in a similar state. The Evil One wants us to question the Church and its guidelines and the inconsistencies we see. He wants us to take note of the way the governments around us seem to be spinning out of control. He likes us to feel bad for calling evil things sin, as he would much rather we give allowance to both our own flesh and the flesh of others by taking a live-and-let-live stance.

I don’t want to be a 6-7 Christian, wandering in aimless confusion. I want to embrace the guidelines of the Church and the encouragements of my fellows. I want to have open and honest discussions about the things I don’t understand, but still appreciate that my own desires are subject to a Higher Power. I want to be willing to recognize that in the view of God, my own ideas are nonsensical. My will is only at rest when submitted to His.

The funny thing is, when we have guidelines we feel so much more confident. I won’t question my use of the word “captivate,” for example, because there is a prescribed way to use it. Contrarily, the word 6-7 which allows for so much freedom makes me uneasy. When is it socially acceptable to use? Exactly what does it mean if someone says it to me? What is an appropriate response?

 And so I commit myself to clinging to something solid—the God of Love. I commit to finding joy in the boundaries He provides. I commit to abiding in the peace that only comes from Him.

And I hope that you will join me.