Grow Hope

Winter is a tough season for many people.  The shorter, colder days (and in some places, lots of snow) keep us from getting out anymore than necessary.  Thankfully, signs of spring are starting to pop up in many areas.  One of the earliest signs that winter is losing it's cold grip are daffodils pushing their cheerful yellow heads out of the frosty ground.  It seems this year, they are emerging earlier than usual in my area, but none to soon for my warm weather loving heart.  They were the inspiration for my page today.  

As one of the first flowers of spring, daffodils symbolize rebirth and new beginnings.  Daffodils are often given on 10 year wedding anniversaries to mean joy, cheerfulness, and happiness.  They represent hope for a cure for cancer for the American Cancer Society and are the March birth flower.  

As the daffodils grow and bloom, we have hope that the winter is coming to an end and spring is coming.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 15:13

Friends, we should have hope for a far greater reason than the end of winter, however.  We have hope for eternal life in Heaven!  If we believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins and rose again after 3 days, we are promised a place in Heaven.  He sits at the right hand of God, covering us with His grace.  What greater hope is there?!?

If you are without hope today, pray for God to fill you up with His overflowing peace, love and joy.  Grow the hope your soul longs for by watering it with the Word of God.  Trust that He is the fountain of hope that never runs dry.  Give your fears and worries over to the one who can wash way every burden and sin.   

Page Details:

To create this page, I traced an outline image of some daffodils from a free download.  I added some line detail to the image with a micron pen and colored in loosely using Inktense blocks.  I splattered some paint on the page and used the script stamp from Texture Tiles 1 in the background.  I stamped my title using the Loop da Loop Alpha and added a dragonfly using the Dragonfly Dreams set.  I finished it off with some washi tape, a bow clip and my date stamp.

Until next time friends, you can catch up with me on Instagram @simplyjillsjourney. 

Praying you are abounding in joy & peace,

Jill

He Steadied Me

Have you ever found yourself in a place you didn’t want to be? Or in a scenario that you thought you’d never be? One of those situations where you thought “this won’t ever happen to us. That won’t be me. That just isn’t what I’d ever choose.”

If you’re like me, you can answer “yes”, if you’re really being honest. Several years ago, I was in a situation that I never thought would happen to me. It was the farthest thing from my mind, but it happened. There I was. In a pit.  

So what’s a person to do when you get in one of “those” places? Get mad? Pull yourself up by your own boot straps? Pout?  I had never been in "this" place before and I needed wisdom to know what to do.

I chose to wait on the Lord. Even though life was spinning around me, I knew God was still God and He was still in control. I didn’t know how it would all work out, or even when. But I knew God would be with me and carry me through.

His Word became my life.  Like never before, I poured myself in to it and it into me. I clung to the truths and promises it contained. I listened for His soft whispers of what to say and what to do. He directed me when to sit and just be still.  I waited on Him.  

One morning, several months later, I remember waking up feeling so refreshed and so full of life. I was leaving for work and was headed out the front door, when they caught my eye.

There right in front of me, I noticed the daffodils were blooming. Bright, cheery, sunshine colored daffodils. They were gently swaying in the breeze as if they were waving good morning to me.

It was then that I knew, He not only lifted me out of the pit of mud and mire, but He set my feet on solid ground. And the best part? He didn’t just leave me and send me on my way. “He steadied me as I walked along!”

You see, at that point I couldn’t even remember if the daffodils had bloomed the year before. It had been a long season of winter. But, oh, on that day...I knew they were blooming!

When He lifted me from that pit, and steadied me as we walked along, He also gave me a new song to sing. Today, when you see me and wonder why the smile on my face...know it’s because I’m singing His song of praise in my heart!!

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  He has given me a new song to sing,  a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see what He has done and be amazed.  They will put their trust in the Lord.  

The art behind the story:

As soon as I saw these new daffodils from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Spring Blossom set, I knew I had to do this page to document this time in my life.
I prepped the page with Liquitex matte gel medium, then I stamped the daffodils with Stazon black ink.  I stamped the words with the beautiful Rebecca Script alphas.  I used prismacolor pencils to color and shade the daffodils and to add highlights to the lettering.

Thanks for joining me today.  Praying He puts a new song in your heart!

Hugs,

Gayle (Patio Ponderings)