After her year of “Living Lovely,” Heidi at Mount Hope Chronicles, inspired me to create my own “word of the year” -Â something to look for, snap photos of, write poems about, and breathe prayers over. Something that is strong and rich enough to weave its way through 365 days and nights. It didn’t take long for a certain word to throb in my heart:
An ancient word.
A quiet word. A powerful word.
The kind of word that listens carefully during a conversation… listens so long that when it finally does speak up, it delivers such impact, that everyone breathes a sigh of relief and rests in its power.
It introduced itself to me this past year. Gently, at first. I’d notice it in a friend’s posture or a neighbor’s open door; I’d dog-ear paragraphs about it in books like Cynthia Heald’s Uncommon Beauty.
Eventually, the word “gracious” captured my heart.
Gracious:
Favorable;
kind;
friendly;
benevolent;
merciful;
disposed to forgive offenses and impart unmerited blessings;
virtuous; good; excellent; graceful; becoming.
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I see “gracious” best when I look at my Savior.
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And I find this verse stirring in my spirit like a torrent…
“A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.” Proverbs 11:16
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(I have a feeling that 365 days won’t be time enough to immerse myself in this one…)
