A few years ago, one of my daughters challenged all our family to "name our year" as the new year approached. The point was to ask God what the focus of the year ahead should be for us. What do we believe is God's purpose for the year in our lives. As I approached 2020, seeking the Lord in this manner, I felt led to name my 2020, "Gratitude." Here is a portion of what I wrote in early January of 2020.
Gratitude This Year
I am going to focus on 2020 being the year of GRATITUDE. I do not consider myself an ungrateful person, but I don't think I focus enough on the praiseworthy aspects of life. It is easy for me to see problems to overcome, the downside of a good thing, and be a little negative about life. I don't think of myself as a negative person, but I do realize that we live "east of Eden," in an incredibly broken, fallen world. That said, true are the words of the hymn,
"This is my Father's world; why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!"
This verse comes just after one which says,
"This is my Father's world. Oh, let me ne'r forget,
that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet."
And Then Came 2020
That is what I wanted in 2020. I want to not only "count it all joy," even in the midst of trials, but to do so not as a discipline of faith, but from a heart of deep gratitude for who God is and for all He has done, regardless of any current circumstance."
And then came 2020.
Now, at the end of 2020, I look back on the year and think about what it has been like. As is the case for most people, it has been a year with more adverse circumstances (in general) than any other. In fact, major events would fight to make the top three in 2020. The year brought us the world-wide covid pandemic, extreme racial division, an economic shutdown in many nations of the world, almost unparallel natural disasters of hurricanes and wildfires, and a presidential election that reads like a New York Times bestseller in the fiction category. All of these issues have so many offshoots that have impacted so many people in so many ways. It has been, on the surface, a catastrophic year.
It has also been a fantastic year to learn and to practice gratitude. Through it all, God is still God, and He is always faithful. I have found the words that I wrote in January are true in December and have been true all year long.
"This is my Father's world. Oh, let me ne'r forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world; why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad!"
I Will Always Be Grateful
Throughout the year, I have followed the news. I have experienced the upheaval. Also, there have been the more personal circumstances of cancer surgery for a family member and the impact of my mother's isolation in a nursing home where visitation was not possible. But in it all and through it all, I have been content. God has taken 2020 and used it as a laboratory for me to learn gratitude at a deeper level than ever before. The scripture says that He is our peace and that He is the stability of our times. 2020 has been such a confirmation of that for me, and for that, I will always be grateful.
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