Gentle

Gentle is my word for this year.  Last year, if you hang around here, you know that my word was "Intentional" and man, I was, when I remembered to be.  I worked on my exercise schedule and never missed a day and after all kinds of work, I managed to move to a job at a new school (well, actually, I did work incredibly hard at trying to get two OTHER jobs and God dropped this one, which was better than the other two combined, into my lap).  Anyway, after a year of working hard and trying to be intentional about everything, I decided that this year needed a slight change of pace.  As I limped into December, exhausted and overwhelmed, I kept praying and reflecting on the word that should be for this year.  Rest came to mind but it wasn't right and finally, I thought of gentle.  I sat down with my concordance and stumbled across this verse -

Isaiah 40:11New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young.

This had special significance to me and the connection was interesting.  Two years ago, I was in a situation in which a church situation was putting demands on me that I felt I couldn't meet and when I expressed that, I felt that there was no understanding of my trying to juggle full-time motherhood with a full-time job.  I was so exhausted and felt like I was letting people (and God) down since I couldn't be what was wanted of me.  My mom mentioned how I was feeling to a minister friend of hers who sent me the sweetest email containing this verse and telling me that a loving God understood my challenges and treasured me as someone who was coping with my young.  I can't tell you what that meant to me at the time.  To stumble across this verse again made me felt as thought this was RIGHT.  My year is to be the year of gentle -  with myself, with my family and with those around me.  I can't say that I have been especially good at it (I push myself very hard and in turn, that can mean not being so gentle with my family) but I'm working on it.  

Did you have a word for this year?