I wanted to be a person who is content, “zen,” not thrown off by life’s ups and downs, not hurried, not anxious. I’d been reading James around the time I began the process of choosing my word. James tells us to “draw near to God and He will draw near to you.,” I heard God calling me closer, to His side. The second I wrote down the word “abide” I knew it was the one. I chose John 15:5 as my verse: He who abides in me will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing.”