Dawn, a word for 2021

Now that February is approaching, I've finally made time to sit and mull over the word I chose for the year. I don't always choose a word. And I don't always use it as a marker for the entire year. But dawn seemed weighty and hope-filled and I didn't want to let it pass me by.

dawn

noun : the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.

The hope of the soon, but not yet. The anticipation. Joy before full daylight is realized.

The personal events of the last four months of last year (pregnancy, buying a house, miscarriage, moving) left us reeling, in a few ways. But here we are now, eyes forward, walking into another year as our little family. This will be the first full year in our new home. The first full year of missing our twin babies. The first full year that Cooper is saying words and running around. The first full year feeling more rooted in this place. A year of hope for us. And another year of trusting that God is working.

I'm a nostalgic person, and I don't need reminders to glance back with fondness, since I'm already busy doing it all the time. This isn't all bad. Never looking back can lead us to miss evidence of God's faithfulness. But I feel the most balanced with eyes on the horizon, a more eternal perspective, glances at my feet (however much mud or beauty they might be standing in) and glances backward, to catch a better view of God's faithfulness. The way we glance back affects how we see what is up ahead, I think.

It's a twilight practice to look back at a truly wonderful day and be grateful. It's a dawn practice to look forward, to an unknown day, and say, God, this day is your's. Use me and help me delight in you in whatever the dawn brings. And when twilight comes, oh, I long to have noticed Your goodness woven throughout the hours.

A friend sent me this song when I shared my word with her. I had heard it before, but hadn't listened recently. Here are the lyrics of Morning Song by Steffany Gretzinger:

Night turns to morning You have been waiting Whispering to me Gently I'm waking It's the dawn of a new day You've painted for me Colors exploding Telling our story I'm waking up I'm waking up I'm waking up I'm waking up

I can feel the rising of the sun Mercy sings me the promise of Your love And I'm reminded how far we've come You're the One that my heart is beating for

Whatever day the dawn brings, I'm not alone. I'm not left helpless. I have true joy in Christ, and practically, a wellspring of wisdom at my fingertips through his Word. I have true hope that He will draw me nearer to Him in the coming year, even in the moments when all I can see is the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.

If you're curious, here are other posts from years where I chose a "word of the year." Oh, how I feel like I was a baby back in 2016! :

• Awake (2016)
• Awake (2017) — apparently I needed this word two years in a row
• Relish (2019)