I have to be honest. I was a bit gloomy last week. Might I even say depressed. I was just uncharacteristically down. Truth is, as I looked out over 2013, I couldn’t see a whole lot of things to look forward to.
Yes, we are expecting baby #5 in early March, and of course, I’m looking forward to seeing if this is our fifth boy or first girl. But what was before me was the thought of how impossible it seemed to handle one. more. thing.
I sent an email to a friend, “How, oh how, am I going to manage an infant in this home in another 8 short weeks?”
After weeks of trying to get our schedules together, she promptly wrote back, “Let’s have dinner tomorrow night.” Thank God for friend’s that drop everything when you need them.
It seemed all over Facebook, I was seeing friend’s claim their “word” for 2013. And in my gloomy state, all I could seem to come up with for myself was “SURVIVE”.
I told you I was depressed.
Upon sharing with my husband, he gave me needed encouragement. “God surely has more for you than that.”
I took a shower. Put on real clothes. Dressed the kids. Did the needed chores that I had been so dreading (note: it took like 15 minutes to start a load of laundry, unload the dishwasher and pick up the kitchen. Amazing how LARGE you can make these tasks when you are in one of those moods!).
And popped in a Joyce Meyer CD, that my above mentioned friend shared with me long before, and began to prepare lunch for my 4 boys.
The title was “Living Without Frustration”. Perfect considering everything in my entire life felt frustrating that morning.
And through Joyce, God gave me my word for 2013. GRACE.
But, it was a new definition of GRACE for me. I was very familiar with GRACE in relation to my salvation. I’d always loved the definition, “Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you do not deserve.” I knew my salvation was an testiment of God’s grace.
What Joyce gave me was this definition, GRACE is trusting God to do what you cannot do. It is the POWER of God, freely available to us, every day, in whatever amount we need, enabling us to do, with ease, what we could never do on our own with any amount of struggle and effort.
The teaching that really hit me between the eyes was when she laid out this equation….
Frustrated is where we end up when we stop relying on God and receiving His GRACE, and we’ve decided we are going to make something happen our own way.
It is trying instead of trusting.
Are you trying to solve your own problems?
Are you trying to change your marriage?
Are you trying to “fix” your spouse?
Are you trying to make those kids do what you want them to?
Are you trying to potty train a 2 1/2 year old who wants nothing to do with it because the thought of 3 children in diapers is just too much? (Or is that just me 
).
That is not GRACE. That is works.
We are reflecting this month here at FLT about being a “work in progress”. In a month of the year when everyone is trying, changing, resolving…maybe we all just need to start trusting. Trusting that God has made us who we are. Trusting that He will show us where we need to focus and grow (and I promise you, He won’t give us a whole list, but one thing at a time).
Trusting that God is also working on our frustrating spouse. In our difficult relationships. In our overwhelming circumstances.
God is waiting for us to hit that point where we say, “Alright God. I give up. If anything is going to happen here, it will have to be You.”
God’s answer will be “Exactly. That is the way it always is. Apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)”
That is when change happens.
What all our spouses, marriages, families, lives…what WE all need is some GRACE. GRACE that we receive by faith.
It is my “word” for 2013. Maybe it will be your’s too.
© 2013, Danielle Peters. All rights reserved. Love it? Print, email, pin, tweet or share but please don’t use my work without permission. {Copyright Fancy Little Things. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this article or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.}
About Danielle Peters
Danielle, that’s my word this year too. It has come up every day since January 1, so I’m pretty sure God is telling me something.
The grace I’m focusing on is GIVING Grace to those around me (and sometimes even to myself) especially when I don’t agree with what someone is doing. And that starts with accepting it from Jesus b/c, unless I get some from Him, I won’t have any to extend to others.
What better word could us stay-at-home Moms with large, young families need? Grace is what we need and what we need to display to our children, husbands and beyond. Let encourage one another to keep that word at the forefront all year!
Thanks for sharing this. I needed to hear it today.
~FringeGirl
The Domestic Fringe recently posted..DIY: Balloon Wreath
Glad to share! Thank you for sharing your talents with us this week too.
Great sharing today. Thank you!
You are welcome
.
Love that we have the same word
you have encouraged me to extend grace to my husband and others; to be stretched because I’m held by God! My grace post went up today and I still cried reading it – it was God’s reminder that in Him, I can do anything!
You’re a blessing Danielle xo
Kristin recently posted..my word for 2013
What better word to share! Who couldn’t use some more grace?! This new definition is so key to me this year because I really KNOW that I can’t do it in my own works. I will need God’s grace to do what is beyond me. And oh, how much I want that…less frustration, less trying. More trusting!
I have that CD also Danielle and it has pulled me out of a funk here and there. I fall back on that power, that grace, often.
My word for 2013 is “LIGHT” for many reasons, but the biggest is to shine as an example for my children of what a Christian life looks like. Of what it means to walk with The Lord. A life of understanding, serving, helping, patience, and most of all LOVE. When I get frustrated and ready to break I repeat my word to myself and it reminds me to turn myself toward the light and let it shine through me.
GREAT word Candy!
Danielle, I only read the first half of your post before I work out — and just finished. After running 4, 10-minute miles in 40 minutes… feeling stronger, but defeated. I will partially blame the reduction in my thryoid meds over the past 12 months as a culprit to my metabolism and the battle I am facing daily with my weight; but I screamed out on the treadmill… “God, I don’t want to be fat. I can’t do this.” After 3 years of doctor’s and diagnosis, after 3 years of hurting, after 3 years of diligently working out and watching everything I eat.. I am giving up… today, I give my burden to God. today, i am going to allow Him to carry me because clearly, this is not something I can do alone. –>> Apart from Him I can do nothing.
Aimee Steckowski recently posted..acquaintances vs. REAL friendships
Trying or trusting? I loved that comparison. I know you and I share our passionate pursuit of goals, so much so that we can often fall into the trap of relying on ourselves, our works, all our trying…but God is just waiting for us to come to Him. He has your health in His hands. He has my year in His hands.
Just think what we can do WITH Him?
Wonderful word choice, Danielle — I think we all need to be reminded to TRUST him! I do really well for a while and then the achiever in me starts to think I should “try”… it’s not a conscious thing, but it’s real nonetheless. And I battle on like that for a while until a message (!) somehow gets through. Thank you for your reminder today!
xo Heidi
Heidi @ Decor & More recently posted..Four Happy Things
I’m right there with you Heidi. This has totally changed my week. So much less frustration. Less anxiety over being prepared for the new baby. And then today, it felt like it slipped some when I didn’t get anything on my agenda done. Back came the feeling of frustration, but I caught myself. I turned to Him. I handed it all over. Now, only another 50 weeks to go
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As Christian women I feel it is hard at times to allow grace for ourselves…Grace when we have a bad moment, Grace when we have a bad day…Grace when we become unglued…Grace when we can’t do it all…if our relationships around us embrace and extend grace, it is easier for us to relax in a soaking of Grace when we are not so perfect in our own eyes. We are perfect in our brokenness to Him and that is all that matters. He will lead us…if we listen.
So true. Thanks for your comment!
I was writing somewhere the other day that if I gave myself as much grace as He does, I would be much better off! What a great word for the year!
Julie Sancken recently posted..2013 Reading List
Isn’t that true! Wouldn’t we all be better off?! And we just need to remember it is available to us. Every day. For free!
Even to us single ladies we can take something away from this post. Grace in all relationships and with ourselves is needed. What a sweet reminder at the beginning of a new year. Great post Danielle!
Kimberly recently posted..13.1 Round 3
Yes, this was defintely more of a post for everyone! Glad you enjoyed.
Danielle, you made me cry. Again. This past week I was feeling so down, I think we are all affected by this bitter gloomy weather. In one week me and hubby got into not one, but two! nasty arguments. I was feeling so frustrated, and yesterday evening just started sobbing as we knelt to pray before bedtime. I was thinking Lord I feel heartbroken and I have nothing to say except that I need You. Thank you for such encouraging post. And, having a new baby in the house is survival, but there is light at the end of the tunnel once all of you get adjusted to new normal. God’s grace will get you through it
Natasha, you always leave me such wonderfully encouraging comments. I’m not always good about replying, but please know, I SO appreciate that you read and respond. I love that you kneel together and pray before bed. That is something that we could use to capture that GRACE we will BOTH need for our 2013!
This really hit home with me today. I have been in that funk too. I have been on my own program lately. Although hard to say, frustrated with God, but still knowing he is in control. Frustrated I am struggling with things I thought were far behind me. Doubting that God will bring me back to a place of peace and contentment, and trying to do it on my own. I have had no success…and this reminded me that it is all in HIS hands…He will bring me through and I will be even stronger this time!
Kristie Fox recently posted..Pump{k}in It Up – Cardio Workout
This is why it is worth sharing. Bearing it all and putting it out here in blog-land. Because we are not alone. I am not. Neither are you. And, yes. We are all in HIS hands. You will be stronger if you rely on Him.
Trusting that God will work “it” out, whatever the big “it” is right now? I needed to hear a reminder to do that. Thank you!
Missy recently posted..To Read or Not to Read… Ahead
We all have our own “it”, don’t we? Thanks for your comment Missy!
What a great ( & for me timely) post! Thanks