Crammed with Heaven is a monthly column in which Jenni Pretorius Hill shares stories of hope which bring Heaven’s perspective to Earth
In the same way that New Agers scan the horoscopes as the new year rolls into view, many Christians rush to the “word for the year” from their favourite prophets. We want someone to tell us, “God says this will be the year of your breakthrough! This is the year everything you’ve been trusting for finally falls into place!” I’m not undermining the role of prophets in the body of Christ, but my question to these prophetic-word scouts is simple: why don’t you ask God yourself? Because if you can’t (or won’t) then my word for you is this: God is inviting you into a direct relationship with Him in 2026, not one mediated through someone else! And yes, He really does want to bless you this year and beyond; it might not look exactly like what you would wish, but since His very nature is love, you will be led by Love — if you are willing to surrender to His leadership.
I have a friend who says: “Don’t ask God for a word for the new year; ask Him to show you His heart. Then go and be the word.” God spoke His Word once and for all through the incarnation of His Son, Jesus. That Word has not changed. Jesus was the living expression of God in the world, and since we are sons and daughters of God — seated alongside Christ as co-heirs — we, too, get to be the word made visible today. We get to carry God’s expression into the world. So what is God’s heart for your family this year? Reconciliation? Peace? Hope? Then be that. Become God’s expression of reconciliation in your home.
And what is God’s heart for our beloved nation in 2026? I can say with absolute confidence that it is for healing, justice, hope, and prosperity. So how do I express that in my small, drop-in-the-ocean way? I refuse to align myself with hopeless social media narratives or add negative chatter to table talk. Instead, I will keep writing words that stir hope. I will add my voice to the cheer over the smallest victories.
My husband and I lead a small church in East London, and we also run our own businesses. Navigating the demands of work is challenging enough, let alone carrying the responsibility of parenting three children who are all still at home. At the start of this year, God reminded us clearly of His heart for our leadership: let love lead. When I look back, I have to ask myself how often have I truly allowed love to direct me? I can think of many moments where fear shaped my decisions, or where frustration and irritation took the lead. How many times have I responded too quickly, driven by a need to appear “in control”? How often have I reluctantly committed myself to something simply because I felt pressured by other people’s expectations? Allowing love to lead is a costly — and sometimes frightening — choice. Because love chooses to look to the highest good in people, it leaves our hearts wide open to disappointment, pain and rejection. Because it opts to place the needs of others above our own, it costs our comfort, our time and routines, and even our money.
Just before Christmas, a member of our church was knocked over by a drunk driver who was speaking on his cellphone, right outside our building. We rushed out to find her lying in the road. She was okay — apart from a cracked fibula, as we later learned — and she brushed off our concern with a wave of her hand as she continued speaking to the driver, who hovered nearby, clearly shaken and afraid. I wanted the law to come down hard on him, and I phoned the traffic police. Meanwhile, she extended such grace, love, and forgiveness that he began to cry. When the ambulance arrived to take her to hospital, her primary concern was still for the man — that he would encounter God’s love and forgiveness. Even in visible pain and shock, love led her to respond with kindness and mercy. It wasn’t a very human response. Mine felt far more human: I wanted him punished, which didn’t represent the justice of God at all.
I’ve inherited a signet ring from my great-grandmother. Her fiancé had her initials, H.W., engraved on the outside, and on the hidden curve the Latin amor vincil omnia — love conquers all. It’s more than a romantic sentiment. Love is not a whimsical or vapid emotion. It is the sweat-drenched face of a man gripping another’s hand, refusing to let go as their body dangles over a cliff. It is a mother plunging into a burning car to pull out her child. It is a waiting father, scanning the horizon day after day for the return of his wayward son. It is fierce, long-suffering, never quitting. It is not self-serving; neither is it proud, rude or judgemental. Love is gentle; it is kind, peace-making, slow to speak and quick to listen. It celebrates the best in others, covering shame. It inspires, encourages, leads and lays down personal agendas, ambitions for the well-being and blessing of others. God sets the example in leading us exactly like this. He knows you are afraid; He understands where you’ve come from and what you’ve had to overcome to get this far.
Allowing love to lead is only truly possible in the realm of the supernatural. I am able to choose love only when I am first saturated in it myself, because love cannot flow out of me if it has not already filled me. God longs to fill you afresh with His love, if you are willing to slow down, and sit with Him for long enough to receive it. And perhaps your breakthrough in 2026 will not look like something you achieve or attain, but rather someone you will become — a person who embodies the word the world is longing to hear.
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