Hope

In ten short days we will celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the great season of Lent, the color of the season is purple. Lent is one season that has always appealed to this quilter, as it’s not simply about giving up habits, things that bring great pleasure, adding spiritual reading, making sacrifices for others. Lent is that moment when we are reminded of our earthly mortality, and our spiritual mortality. It is that call to conversion, making changes in our earthly, and spiritual life that bring us closer to God. For us, in the northern hemisphere, the earth moves from winter to spring.

At this moment we’re living in Ordinary Time, symbolized by the the color green. A lighter, brighter green symbolizes hope, kind of like the color of the year. And the faith word of the year that I chose, Hope.

Whirling through my head are several recent conversations that have all reminded me that it’s time to hold onto this faith word, hold on to Hope. Hope is active, not passive. It is more than a longing of the heart, a yearning for something more. Hope is willing to let God’s plan unfold, trusting that there is something more going on here. As these conversations whirled through my brain I started chiding myself for not living in Hope that the situations I’m worried about at the moment will work out.

While thinking about all of this, while reminding my self to trust, and hope I realized that, remembered that God is in the middle of all of this. That letting go of the fear will help, this is giving over to active Hope. That it’s okay to pray the prayers I’ve been praying, because praying them is shedding light on those fears.

It’s also a letting go of what I think that I want, how I’ve viewed what a successful quilting career looks like, and being open to where God is leading instead of whining at Him. Honesty moment here: I’ve been whining at God, He’s given me this gift, but it seems like he doesn’t want me to use it. Honestly I know that’s not true, it currently does not look like what I thought it would. That’s okay. This feeling a bit lost is fine.

I’m heading to the sewing room to do some piecing so I can quilt. I have three quilts to finish. And a few blog posts to write.

God bless,

Teri