I think that we can all freely admit that 2020 got out of control pretty quickly, and the turning of the new year hasn't seemed to help. Anyone who resolved last January to get in shape probably found their favorite outfits fitting even snugger after several months of quarantine, and many of our "words" for the year may not have come to fruition exactly as we imagined they would. I admitted last January my reluctance to even choose a word, but, this year I am finding great comfort in the word that God has spoken over me. (Spoiler Alert, my word for the year is grace.) As of right now, I imagine that this word will involve having grace for others as well as myself and, probably, diving into a deeper understanding of God's grace in my life. My attitude about choosing a word for 2021 is vastly different than the reluctance I showed last year. In this weeks podcast, Amanda shares a hilarious story about a very literal cat burglar. I laughed more in those few minutes than I have in a long time. As I drove home from recording that night, I thought about the cat burglar and my word for the year. Now, Amanda may choose to show grace
of some kind in her story, although I'm not sure how it would apply. But that wasn't really the correlation that I made as I drove. As I drove home, I heard God whisper to me the reason why I needed a word for 2021. Just like 2020 turned into a dumpster fire before we had time to even process what our words meant, 2021 has shown little improvement. There were times over the last year that it was hard to stay focused on God, His plan, His complete control over every situation, my daily relationship with Him, and His love for me individually. Even though I had a "word" that word did not comfort me in any way. As I drove God began to show me that this year, when things turn upside down, He has spoken a word over me to ground me and bring me back to Him. I have a word to focus on and dive into when I don't understand the world around me. I have a word to cling to when I feel far away from God and long for Him to draw me close to Himself. I have a word for when I feel like a complete failure as a mom, a wife, a friend, or just as a human being.
Obviously my particular word is extremely fitting for this but I do believe that it is true for any of the words that God has laid on our hearts. Just as each of them is unique to the person it was given, it will provide a unique solace as the year progresses. Maybe it's something in the word itself, or maybe it's just the fact of having a word and knowing that He gave it to you and WILL bring SOMETHING to fruition in your life in 2021. I pray that things begin to turn around this year, but not without God's glory being shown in each and every seemingly awful thing that has occurred. I am hoping for and anxiously awaiting a year where God is evident and moving in my life and, if the cat does come and burgle the world in 2021, it won't burgle me. I am built on the rock that is firmer and stronger than the world, and He has shown me grace upon grace.
Have you chosen a word? Listen to this weeks episode, Cat Burglar of 2021, to hear the hilarious story and to find out more about our words for both 2020 and 2021.
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