For the past ten or so years, I’ve started each January with a word I hoped would shape the coming year. Sometimes my word was really just goals in disguise, a little reminder I could return to when I needed motivation. Other times, I sensed the Lord highlighting a word for me, something He wanted me to pay attention to in the next year as I followed Him. Recently I was sharing with a friend how drawn I’ve been to spending time with Jesus. I’ve woken up, probably for the first time in my life, eager to read my Bible before drinking my coffee. It’s like my hunger for Jesus gets me out of bed in the morning! Then, as we talked about our habit of picking a word for the year, they pointed out that perhaps my “word” for 2026 isn’t a word at all, but a person. His invitation reminded of John 1:1.“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” That Word is Jesus.Here, the gospel writer John is emphasizing Jesus’s divinity. He is reminding us that Jesus is eternal, having existed before time itself. That He is fully God, present with the Father, and yet, as we we’re reminded at Christmas, He is also fully present with us. “He came into the very world he created” (John 1:10a). This is an invitation for us to know and experience Him, but not just for our own sake! "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This verse reminds us that while He loves us, His love isn’t just for us – He's the Saviour of the world after all.So how does not choosing a word, and instead choosing the Word, shape a year?I’ll confess, my word is usually all about me. What “I” need to work on, how “I” want to grow – is there anything innately wrong with that if it leads to us looking more like Jesus, maybe not? But is the same end goal not achieved when we focus simply on the Word?I long for my love for Jesus to shape my priorities, decisions, and most of all relationships. I hope to be a more patient, gracious, and loving wife, mother, pastor and friend because of how I’m shaped by the Word. By spending each morning with Jesus, I trust that my internal world will slow a bit and in place of angst and hustle, will come greater presence with my family, passion for the work He’s called me to, and more love for my neighbours and the world Jesus died for. So, for now, I start the day with Jesus in the Bible and in prayer and ask Him to help me bring His love into every space and community He sends me.As we step into a new year, I invite you to consider what it would look like to let the Word, Jesus Himself, shape your life, your choices, and your love for others, instead of looking for a single word to define the year. -Kiara Moshansky | Pastor of Justice and Compassion and New Ventures at Sherwood Park Alliance Church.