The Hope Series

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. Rom 15:13a

Hope. I almost missed having a jewelry series with this name. I'm not sure how I missed it but I did. Last summer, we lost a baby granddaughter. Her middle name was Hope. And just very recently, a dear family friend who is walking through one of life's most difficult crises, the serious illness of a child, sent me a reminder...I'm missing one series..."hope".

But let me say upfront, I not talking about "hope" in it's casual usage...you know..."I hope I can make it to your party"..."I hope the weather is good for the picnic". No, this is much more than that kind of weebly wobbly hope, which in reality is not much more than a wish. Biblical hope is alot different...solid. Again, I went to my resources to look up the meaning of the word "hope". This is a combination of a couple of meanings, but here it is..."joyful, confident assurance and expectation of adequate resources based on the solid certainty of who God is."

The "Hope" God asks me to walk in is bold, confident, joyful, assured...because of who He is. He is the God "who supplies all my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus". He is the One who says "no weapon formed against you will prosper"... and "I know the plans I have for you...to prosper you...to give you a future and a hope". I have hope - confident, bold, assured - not just wishful thinking - because I know the One on whom my hope is based. I trust Him. I don't always understand His ways, but I trust Him. He is good...all the time.

I chose Turquoise for my "Hope Series" because of the connection between the meanings of the color turquoise and the meanings of word "hope". Turquoise lends itself to a sense of calming, nurturing, protection, refreshing. When I am full of hope, I am calm, refreshed, walking in a sense of safety, and able receive nurture and encouragement. When I was learning to drive a car, my instsructor kept telling me to not focus on the nose of the car, but to look beyond...a much safer and effective way to navigate. Isn't life that way? It's alot safer and effective to expand my life's focus onto my big and good God and His promises to me, than to confine my gaze to my circumstances alone. It brings hope, confidence, assurance. I'm praying that your "Gems by George" turquoise jewelry will keep you focused on the "Big Picture" and give you bold, confident hope.