run.

Right from the start, I will say I have a slight passive aggressive streak. If there are a bunch of people doing a new trend or jumping on a band wagon, I am likely going to not want to do it.

The Lord has worked with me on this and I am much, much better.

How does this play into this post? Well, a few years ago there was a big trend to pick a "word" for the new year. Everyone was asking, "What's your word for the year?" I didn't have an answer for that, nor did I care to put any effort into figuring out a word.

Then, wouldn't you know it, the Lord simply spoke a word into my heart for that year. At that point, it really didn't matter what I wanted. It was obvious the Lord wanted me to have a word, and therefore I accepted it. Since then, I have been given a word for each year. Sometimes I have asked, sometimes I have forgotten to ask and receive it anyway, and sometimes I receive it before I even think to ask.

This year I received my word for 2026 a couple weeks before the new year. What was that word?

run.

Wow. I wasn't (and still am not) quite sure what to do with that word. There can be so much wrapped into those three letters. So small and so massive at the same time. This word can be taken so many different ways.

Immediately, I began to get a sense of where the Lord was taking this for me. This didn't mean I woud be running away from danger (maybe running head long into danger, we shall see). It didn't hold the feeling of fear, and I knew it didn't mean that He was setting me up for being extremely busy all year.

I felt an excitement surrounding the word, an essence of adventure. I had a picture of just before the start of a race; the athletes settling there feet into the blocks. The Lord was smiling with a knowing of what we would be doing and where we would be going. I felt His heart swelling with blessing. He knows this will make my heart soar.

With all of that said, how am I effected? I am still at the start. I am still swirling a little with "wow" in my heart. Wow. My mind is trying to define this one little word. By the way, I am well aware that trying to define His thoughts with my thoughts is quite futile, but don't we often try to do that? We want a clean cut definition to follow, a path 4-5 steps illuminated for us to know where we are going. And I have to say, I liked those 4-5 steps illuminated when I was walking, now I am going to be running. Those 4-5 steps almost don't feel like enough. Quite, honestly, at the moment, I don't even have that many steps.

The thing I am constantly reminding myself is that the Lord didn't ask me to run and find the path myself. He didn't ask me to do it on my own strength. He simply said run. I love when you ask a young child to run, they just do. They don't worry about where they are going. They will simply run around in circles if they have to! I find myself needing to return to that child-like faith. He said run. I will trust Him, and choose to embrace the excitement, the anticipation, and the expectation that we will run together.

And it will be exciting!

So, do you have a word for 2026? Are you willing to ask for one from the Lord?

When you ask, you won't have to make it up. You may hear it immediately, or you may have to wait, but you will know when He speaks it to you. When you hear, I would love to know in the comments below...what is your word for 2026?