Somewhere in between Christmas and the first week of January, social media comes alive with everyone’s word of the year. I have often chosen a word of the year. This year, however, I just wasn’t feeling it.

Just a few days ago, I realized I do have a word. It’s not necessarily a word for 2026, but one simple word that has been resonating with me for six months and seems to consistently surface in quiet, meaningful ways.

My word is, behold.

Forgive me if this is repetitive for those who participated in the Christmas Devotional in 2025. In Scripture, behold is never a casual word. It’s an invitation to slow down, look closely, and see with the heart, not just the eyes. When the angels say “behold,” they’re not telling the shepherds simply to notice something; they’re telling them to pay attention with wonder, because God is doing something worth stopping for.

The word behold appears over 1,100 times in the ESV translation of Scripture. That alone tells us something: this isn’t a throwaway word. It’s an intentional invitation God repeats again and again, calling His people to stop, notice, and truly see what He is doing. To behold means:

• to hold a moment with holy attention
• to observe with care
• to pause long enough for truth to sink in
• to let what you see shape your worship

Beholding invites us to go deeper. There is worship that comes from our souls when we take the time to behold. We see more than just mere words on a page; we see God: Father, Son, and Spirit.

“But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Cor 3:16-18 NASB95

I am not one for daily glitz and glamour, but I do spend a fair amount of time in front of the mirror. I turned 45 in 2025 and I now find myself staring a little more intently at the changes and wrinkles forming on my face. Without even looking at the mirror, I can tell you exactly where they currently are on my face and neck. Why? Because I study them, however distrubing that may sound, aging is happening to my body and I am paying attention!

The same is true when we study the Word with intention; when we pause and observe with care. We notice things. And in that beholding, we are transformed into the very image of Christ. The darker, wretched parts of our hearts are unearthed. We are shaped like clay in the Potter’s hand. We are sanctified. We are changed. And slowly, truly, we begin to see the glory of Christ, just as the shepherds did over two thousand years ago when angels appeared and announced the arrival of our King.

I pray that behold is my word for the rest of my days. That I grow in a deeper and deeper reverance for the things of God and His splendor and majesty. As for now, it’s my little God-wink every time I hear it. A gentle reminder that I am being invited into a deeper relationship with my Lord.

My sister, I pray the same for you. Behold Him.

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” Revelation 21:3-7 NASB95