Receive Your Word
A Reflection by Christine Jurisich
The invitation to focus on a new word for the upcoming year is a January ritual for Retreat, Reflect, Renew. This year, I invite you to join me in practicing this ritual a little differently.
In some ways, 2025 was a challenging year for me. My mind, body, and spirit forced me to surrender to a slower pace. Having to let go of my ability to cross off everything on my daily to-do list brought up the nagging voices that weave in and out of my life. These are the voices that tell me my worth is dependent on how much I do and what I produce. As tempted as I am to respond to those “do more; be more” voices, I know I am being drawn to a new rhythm that leans into a deeper way of being present in the world. Instead of spending time thinking about a new word, I want to spend time opening myself in a way that allows a word to land on my heart. I want a word to choose me.
If you choose a word every year, how can you open yourself in a new way that allows you to receive your word? If you have never chosen a word before and are unsure about this practice, I invite you to give it a try. Focusing on a word is not about creating a goal or adding to your “to-do” list. It is about walking into the new year with intention. A word can guide you and act as a companion that opens your awareness to new growth on your spiritual journey.
“How do you come?” is a question we frequently ask at Sacred Circles and retreats. How do you let your word choose you? Begin by asking yourself that same question. “How do you come?” How do you feel, or what is running through your mind as you cross the threshold into 2026? Reflect on how the past year has been for you and on how you want to move forward.
Ask for your heart to open in a way that helps you receive the word God wants for you. Spend time journaling through this process. Name your values, feelings, desires, and the stirrings in your heart. Look back at what you have written. Listen with the kind of compassion you would have for a friend. It can be helpful to share these stirrings with a safe companion. You might also consider joining us for a Sacred Circle to share your thoughts and listen to others on the journey.
As you journal and share, you will hopefully begin to notice how God is calling you into the new year. Allow the opening of your mind, body, and spirit to be a slow journey. Do as St. Benedict of Nursia wrote in his sixth-century Rule of Benedict: “Listen with the ear of your heart.” It’s easy to go through life listening to solve and fix without realizing that’s what you are doing. And a new word can become another “fix-it” formula with unrealistic expectations if you are not careful. Listening with the ear of your heart invites you to a new way of listening. Christine Valters Paintner describes the heart and this approach in her book, “Give Me a Word.”
It is the place that knows and understands who we truly are, beneath the compulsions and distractions, beyond the false idols and personas we create. The thinking mind will try to control what unfolds or analyze and judge the process. [1]
How do you listen from that place that knows and understands who you truly are? Here are a few suggestions.
If you take regular walks, notice where your eye is drawn and how a certain rock, tree, or flower speaks to you.
As you share with friends, notice when tears rise to the surface. What is your heart telling you? What is God telling you?
When you listen to music, notice what lyrics or rhythms bring out feelings of sadness, confidence, or joy. How are they speaking to your soul?
If you watch the news, notice what moves you to anger, compassion, sadness, or hope.
Hold all these noticings in prayer. Reflect on how they may be an invitation for you to show up differently for family, friends, and a world full of suffering in need of hope.
Continually ask God to help you listen for the word God wants for you. May you feel a gentle, Divine embrace that softens your mind, body, and soul in a way that opens you up to a place of receptivity. Listen with the ear of your heart and let a word choose you.
Share in a Sacred Circle
The second full week of the month, we offer a chance to share the month’s topic in Sacred Circles on Zoom and in-person. Come to one or come to all. New participants are always welcome.
Share Your Thoughts Here
Please share your experience of choosing a word or allowing a word to choose you.
[1] Christine Valters Paintner, Give Me a Word: The Promise of an Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year (Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books, 2025), 14.