two little words

I like the idea of single words being used to describe an entire chapter of life...in this case, I've chosen two words as a reminder of what 2011 has been for me.

2011 has been a year of...

The Lord has healed my heart in greater depths after the loss of Lily. He is taking me through fully grieving the loss of my first baby, Luke Shiloh. I've named him, I have his ultrasound photo, I'm talking about him more. I see how my Jesus sees me...pure, whiter than snow...for His cloak of righteousness surrounds me. He has taken the chains that were about me and crushed them...He makes it as if they were never there. It's amazing that He can heal a heart with just one word, just a single breath...things that the world would say should take a lifetime to heal, or maybe never. But, in less than two years since Lily Katherine went to Heaven and less than three years since Luke Shiloh did, He has supernaturally, beautifully transformed me, made me new, healed me in ways I never dreamed...Allow Him to do the same in your heart and life.

2011 has also been a year of great...

The Lord has taken me through a season of absolute surrender. My finances, my love story, my dreams of ministry for the future, my dream of Ellerslie...He is showing me that His way is the best way, even if it wasn't what I would have chosen for myself. I can trust Him. He is showing me how. It is Him alone that even puts the desire within me to surrender. And it has been amazing to see where He's taken me this year. He has shown me to be faithful in the small things, so He can entrust greater things to me. I never could have dreamed I'd be debt free, an Ellerslie graduate, and a speaker before the end of 2011. His plans are always more beautiful than our own!

I am so excited to see what my God holds for my life, for Lily and Luke's legacies in 2012...

If you had to choose one word to describe what 2011 has been for you, what would you choose? I'd love if you shared it in a comment here and why you chose it:)