Beauty is my word in 2026. The first thing I do after choosing my word is write a definition.

Beauty: n. a subjective quality that brings pleasure to the senses or mind Synonyms: loveliness, pretty, radiance

The first Bible verse that came to mind when I thought of beauty was about the Proverbs 31 woman. Maybe it was because sewing dresses was also on my mind.

She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands… she layeth her hands to the spindle and her hands hold the distaff… she is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed in scarlet… she maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple… strength and honor are her clothing…

And the first idiom that came to mind was:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Meaning: there is no standard for beauty, so what one person likes or sees in someone or something is not necessarily what others see; different people have different opinions. –The Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms

And then the references come thick and fast: A thing of beauty is a joy forever by Keats. There is beauty all around, when there’s love at home. She walks in beauty, like the night, first line of a poem by Lord Byron. I immediately thought of a book on my TBR shelf: Beauty Among Ruins. You see how one thing leads to another!

My niece gave me a watercolor workbook for Christmas. Our house was recently finished and I noticed how pleasant it feels to live in complete and clean rooms instead of makeshift rooms in a shop. January has brought us a lot of beautiful sunsets. It’s hard to tell whether thinking about beauty made me notice the sunsets, or if the sunsets were pointing me to the word beauty. These things strengthened my decision.

So, here’s to noticing and appreciating all kinds of beauty this year, and working to create some, too.

Anyway, the point of this article is not to tell you about my word, but to encourage you to choose a word for 2026.

View from Finley Point on Flathead Lake, January 2026

3 Good Reasons to Choose a Word

I looked back in my planners and it looks like 2026 may be the tenth year I have had a word of the year. Here are the reasons I keep doing it.

It gives the year a spiritual focus. Do you ever get to revivals and you can’t even remember what happened during the last year, what your struggles or joys were? When you have a word of the year, all events relate to it in some way, are kept in the same file in your brain and you can access them. Maybe not perfectly, but it does seem to help… sometimes.

It makes the year memorable. If nothing unusual or spontaneous happens, your brain doesn’t want to tax itself with rememgbering every mundane detail, so it just files it all away as life as usual. To make memories, you need to do something different or spontaneous once in awhile. I will never forget some of the events of the year when purple was my word. It’s not even a spiritual word or a self-improvement word, yet it had a huge impact on my inner life and I will not forget it.

It romanticizes your life. A word of the year shakes you out of settled middle age just a little and very safely. Everything you do is colored and enhanced by the word you choose. It sends you on little adventures, mental and in real life, that you might never see as options without the word to suggest it.

South Dakota sunset, January 2026

How to Choose and Use Your Word of the Year

Choosing a word of the year is a lot like choosing which book to read next. You will not live long enough to use every good word or to read every good book. Saying yes to this word may mean saying no to another good word. It’s a sign you might want to enlist some help in choosing your word.

You can pray and ponder. Sometimes a word falls gently on my heart when I am quiet, other times a word has insisted when I was sure I didn’t want it. Just ask God to make it known to you. But also know that God will use whatever word you choose, like he did for me when my word was purple.

Create a list of options. What do you want more of in your life? Where are you feeling a nudge to do better? Has a particular word impressed you in any way lately?

Just choose. The word will make it’s reasons known as you go along.

I heard another tip this year: look for signs after you choose your word. That’s where the watercolor book and pretty sunsets came to my aid.

You will get better at choosing and using a word every time you do it.

I have thought, halfway through the year, that I surely chose the wrong word. But so far it’s been best to stick with it through any discomfort it brings. There’s always surprises with my word in the last half of the year.

Some quick tips on using your word:

• Write it down. If you use a planner, you can page ahead and write your word at several places throughout the year as reminders. Write down the definition, synonyms, Bible verses, quotes, common idioms or phrases that use your word.
• Choose a theme song, poem, illustration, or quote. Tack it up where you will see it often.
• Add your word to a home screen. Or paint it on a rock.
• Journal about it from time to time. Write down questions, answers, thoughts and your own ideas about using your word. Get a guided journal to help if this is new to you.
• Read about it. Google books with _____ in title and then choose some that seem interesting.
• Think about how your word relates to holidays. Valentine’s day is coming up- how could your word influence you?
• Memorize something: poem, song, or verses.
• Set Goals related to your word. Everything works together for good!

I hope I’ve convinced you that a word of the year is great! If you tell me your word for 2026, I will do my best to include it in some way in future articles. I’ll see you in the comments.👋

–Liz

One more sunset for your delight:

Summer Evening, Wheatfield and Setting Sun, oil on canvas by Vincent van Gogh, 1888