Give Me a Word: The Promise of an Ancient Practice to Guide Your Year

Your word is waiting, hovering just beneath the surface. All you need is the quiet courage to listen and receive it.

Beginning in around the third century CE, a group of monastics known as the desert mothers and fathers retreated to the deserts of northern Egypt, Syria, and Palestine to pursue lives of silence and prayer. A key phrase, repeated often among the sayings of the desert mothers and fathers, is "Give me a word." This tradition of asking for a word was a way of seeking something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months—sometimes a whole lifetime.

Fast-forward many centuries to the present day, and we find the practice of seeking a word being reclaimed by the spiritually minded in new ways. For nearly two decades, Abbey of the Arts has posted an online invitation to its virtual community before Christmas, inviting people to listen for a word to guide them in the year ahead. Hundreds of participants look forward to the practice each year.

In Give Me a Word, spiritual director and poet Christine Valters Paintner offers thirty contemplative and creative practices inviting you to slow down and listen for a word to guide you through the year ahead. Instead of chasing after resolutions, Paintner encourages a more mindful approach—letting go of expectations and becoming open to wisdom from unexpected places.

Give Me a Word will gently lead you through the process of receiving your word, testing its resonance, and embracing its meaning. As you reflect on and live by this word, you'll find it offering insight, clarity, and purpose throughout the year. Give Me a Word invites you to enter a season of deep listening, inner growth, and spiritual discovery. Slow down and listen for the word that is waiting for you, and prepare your heart to wrestle with your word in the season to come.