one word.

December 1 One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)


This one is easy.


Unlike my One Little Word for 2010 which was Fearless, the word that I would use to describe how this year went is this:


Redemptive.


You see, 2010 began in the suckiest way possible. I mean, it was ROTTEN. My husband and I faced a number of circumstances that were beyond our control and left us completely dejected. It was a real shock to our system, considering how amazing all of 2009 had been up until the very end. And when the end came, it hit us like a giant, stinky rock of slimy crap.


Those first couple of months we pretty much inhaled and exhaled. We did what we knew to do daily, and closed our eyes at night. We learned who our real friends are and we held onto each other tight. We also held onto our faith and had to remind ourselves daily that faith is indeed the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We were seeing nothing at the time that would give us any incentive to hope that things would get better any time soon, and yet we had to dig our heels in the sand and believe beyond belief that things would get better, and soon.


Then one day, a day like any other day, things turned around, literally. Just. Like. That.


We didn't see it coming, but almost an instant restoration occurred. It was like life went back to normal for us practically overnight, and the two months that began the year were just some strange hiccup at best and a terrible nightmare at worst. The cloud of despair that was hell-bent on raining depression and hopelessness and strife on us dissipated, and the sun shone as brightly as it ever had. 


It was as if we had gone through some test to see if we could hold onto our joy and peace, even if it was by the tips of our slippery fingernails, and we had managed to hold on successfully and pass the test. We definitely learned some lessons through it all, and corrected some issues in our marriage. As a result, the subsequent joy and peace was exponentially more than we even had before. Amazing.


The whole of 2010 has met us with such good fortune, even moreso than the whole of 2009. We are truly blessed, and grateful for the Lord's grace. It really is AMAZING grace. Sure, we have faced our trials this year, as we always do, but something in us has changed this year and the trials we face don't hit us as hard as they used to. We have been bona fide witnesses to the redemptive power of God in our lives. I am really a little sad to see the year go.


And so, looking back over this post, I noticed that I used the words joy, peace, and amazing a few times. Any one of those would be a perfect word to encapsulate the end of my 2011. I'm excited to see which word ends up on top.