We can all probably agree that 2020 wasn’t the best year. There I was, last January, raring to get started with all my plans and then the pandemic happened. When we had the lockdown here in New Zealand, it was honestly the first time I felt off-kilter, mentally. My anxiety and stress level went up as I saw the news of rising numbers of cases. Staying inside the house, trying to work and take care of the kids at the same time was just hard.
I found it very difficult to proceed with the plans I had for the year. When things don’t go my way and I feel as if I can’t do anything, I get frustrated. The frustration then carries over to other things in my life, or people, like my husband (who has been very patient with me, bless his heart).
Suffice it to say that in 2020, there were many times that I felt stuck. The one thing that kept me going was my word for the year—commit. Having my word for the year has helped me accomplish most (but not all) of my goals, so I am quite happy about that.
With the lessons of last year in mind, I’ve been thinking of a good word as my anchor for 2021. I feel like it should be something that’s a bit forgiving than last year’s. As I looked at several websites for inspiration, I was drawn to this word, several times. So this year, I decided that my word for the year will be:
What does grace mean?
- elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action:We watched her skate with effortless grace across the ice.
- a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment:He lacked the manly graces.
- favor or goodwill.
- a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior:It was only through the dean’s grace that I wasn’t expelled from school.
I like the first definition because it’s a nice direction of how my thoughts and actions should be towards myself and to others. I’d like to build relationships with grace, where my actions come from a place of kindness. I think the world could do with a bit more kindness these days.
Grace as a favour or goodwill is to give not just to others, but also to myself. A reminder that I shouldn’t beat myself up too much when I am not able to meet some goals that I’ve set out. To continually practice patience with myself and the people around me.
Choosing grace means to understanding that I am imperfect, that I am infinitely flawed. But at the same time, acknowledging these flaws makes room for God to fill in the gaps. That God has shown grace to me, so why should I not show the same favour to other people?
So I’ll be making 2021 the Year of Grace, and hopefully come out of it a better person than I am right now.
How about you, what’s your word for the year? If you’d like to know more, you can visit oneword365 website to get ideas for your WOTY and also join the community.
