My 2026 Word of the Year

mel96066
Jan 2
3 min read

Updated: Jan 3

In 2025 I selected the word PURSUE as my Word of the Year. I felt called to pursue to the heart of God and all He had for me. From the rear view mirror, I can see that God's response to that was buckle up.

I'd imagined pursuing more of my book two writing with the expressed goal to publish it by year's end. That obviously didn't happen. When you let go of your own plan to truly seek God's best it often requires shedding our own desires to take on God's form. That happened with the book. I was blissfully moving along when I felt the nudging to change its style altogether to be more useful in church groups of all ages. That meant re-evaluating everything I'd written - scrapping some altogether, melding other pieces, and holding some in its original form to ultimately finish with a better product. I'll be thankful for this when it is done I know, but, for now, it remains a work in progress.

In the meantime, I was asked shortly after the start of the school year to take on a classroom full-time that had a teacher vacancy. Thus, for the first quarter of school I taught 8th grade humanities and 6th and 7th grade reading intervention. The challenge proved to be an incredible gift. Learning about other cultures with the 8th graders was so much fun and pursuing what made struggling readers tick to inspire growth in a class none would choose to be in created a base for relationship, joy, and success celebrations.

Needless to say, I enter 2026 with zero expectation for what my word will hold. In truth, after last year's word threw me for such loops I kind of thought it would be safer just not to pick one. But, it's pretty incredible to see the way God works through focuses in our life differently than we might imagine to show God's nearness.

So, INVEST is my 2026 word.

I'm not exactly sure why. It came to me a few weeks ago and still finds its way back to my thinking every now and then so God must be ready to show my something.

From my perspective I can eye the added busy and emotions that 2026 will bring. Our middle daughter will graduate and enter her first year of college, where she will study and play volleyball. Our oldest is going to graduate college in three years so she'll enter her final volleyball season and undergraduate year of study. And, our youngest is now thriving in high school with all its opportunities. As we tend to and be present for their activities, I'll be working more on book two and new products for the website.

I'm aware that life will be filled with a lot so I want to intentionally invest in each moment. I want to be fully present wherever I am - at a kid's activity, leading in school, volunteering in church, writing for ministry, hanging with friends, or doing the simple every day at home - to feel the riches of each moment. I'll aim to think less about the next thing that needs to be done and enjoy "right now" to squeeze all out of every moment that God gives me throughout my day. The one thing we can't get back is time so really living in the moment matters.

At least this is why I think God has placed this word on my heart in a year of transition. I'll update you next year :)

Happy New Year!

xx Melissa Nesdahl

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