During the pandemic, I discovered a Facebook page called Inspirivity containing vibrant, creative artwork designed by Jennifer Wagner featuring words or sayings to encourage and inspire positivity. Occasionally I used her art, with permission, as bulletin covers.

Over time, as life got busier, I forgot about her gifts. Recently, however, while reading an article in DaySpring’s magazine, Everyday Faith, inviting people to “Find Your Word of the Year” I remembered Inspirivity’s art and it turns out Inspirivity encourages finding a word for the new year as well. Jennifer Wagner writes, “Sometimes a single word can quietly shape how we move forward, what we hold onto, and what we release. If you had to choose one word to guide your focus and intentions for the coming year, what would it be?”

From a faith perspective, this makes me think of the magi who followed the star to encounter the Christ-child. How might a specific word help us pay attention to God at work in our lives and move us toward the blessings and desires God wants to reveal to us? As mentioned in yesterday’s sermon, I am going to try Word searching in 2026 as a new spiritual exercise, and you are welcome to do the same along with me.

How do you choose a word?

• Perhaps there is a word or topic you want to learn more about or have been yearning to have more of in your life.
•  You could write down a bunch of words that come to mind and see if one stands out above the others.
• You could pray on it and ask God to help you identify a word focus.
• You could discuss word options with others and get their feedback.
•  DaySpring provided an online quiz for 2025 (and reproduced it in the recent edition I read). It only works with five words, but it might be helpful. My results were inconsistent, but one word has continued to resonate with me since then and may become my word.
• If you scroll through the artwork on Inspirivity’s page, you may find inspiration there too:

How do you go about inviting a word to shape aspects of your life? Alternatively, how might searching for greater understanding and application of a word help us discover and be transformed by Jesus Christ, the Living Word?

Everyday Faith suggests:

• Praying about your word daily, asking God to guide you in living out this word
• Finding Scripture verses related to your word, reading them regularly, even writing them down and carrying them with you
• Journalling, reflecting on your word, how you see it in action, what questions you have, etc.
• Sharing your word with others, not only to create accountability but to draw on the blessings of encouragement and wisdom from others
• Creating visual cues

I would add that if you want to share your word with me, I can see what resources are available to help you get to know your word more deeply. And depending on the interest, perhaps we could incorporate some word art or quotes into the bulletin throughout the year for added inspiration.

Blessed Word Searching in 2026!

Rev. Wendy