Have you ever chosen a word to represent the way you go through the year? Whether it’s beginning with the new year on January 1st, beginning with a new school year as a parent or teacher (or both), or just a day you want to remember & look back a year later to see how far you’ve come.
I had been contemplating back in November about beginning the new year with a word I wanted to strive for, and in December I was challenged to do so.
The week I was challenged, I had been hearing the word “Grace” in the back of my head over & over as I did things throughout my day- through the good & the bad. That week, as I was going through my day and thinking to myself about how nothing was going right & I am a way better teacher than mom, I got a call from a friend asking me a question “what did it feel like when you miscarried?” A question that made all of my complaints instantly disappear. I told her my experience and we unfortunately realized she was having one. I told her to get to the doctor and asked if I needed to take her. When we hung up, I looked at my phone and realized it was four years to the day since losing our first baby.
Staring at my phone, I realized…I never granted myself any grace for what happened. I “knew” it wasn’t my fault but I didn’t believe it. Then I looked around at everything I was complaining about & realized it didn’t really matter. What matters is my connection with God and that I give myself grace when it comes to His plan- all of it.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknessess, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:8