Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5 CSB
EXPLORING HOPE
Hope is something we all need to keep us from losing our joy or falling into despair. Since it is my #oneword for this year, I want to creatively explore hope. One of the first things I did was to write an acrostic to demonstrate my thoughts.
Have faith in God Open your heart to His call Pray for guidance in everything Expect Him to answer
After writing the acrostic I thought it would be fun to turn it into a haiku:
Have faith in your God Open your heart to His call Pray. Expect answers ~gsw~
COLLAGE AS A WAY TO EXPLORE HOPE
Making collages in my art journal is another way I’ve chosen to creatively explore hope. Working in my art journal is a way of expressing thoughts and feelings. It is fun to flip through magazines looking for picture and words to cut out. Art journaling is also a good way to relax and enjoy some down time. This is the first page I created to describe hope:
Here is another collage I finished this past Saturday. It shares expressions of hope and includes the haiku. My 5 yr old granddaughter added a couple of extra butterflies. The scripture in it is one I shared in my previous post. When I rest in God, looking to Him as my Rock, I will stand firm and not be shaken.
Do you have a #oneword focus for this year? What do you do to keep reminders of your word? I would love to hear. One person I know keeps sticky notes around the house so she can see it every day. She also has a bracelet with her word, which is a lovely idea. Please share in the comments your ideas for keeping your word before you.
I love your creativity
Thanks so much, Barb! Blessings to you!
Beautiful. Your faith shines through your creativity. 🙂
Thank you so much, dear Melissa! Blessings and hugs to you! xoxo
I love your journal pages, dear Gayl! They remind me of the Message version of Romans 15:13, that says “may the God of green hope fill you up …” There is so much life-filled green in your pages! Thank you forthe encouragement that you share with us! Blessings, love, and hugs dear sister. Xo
Thank you so much, dear Bettie! Oh, yes, – life-filled green! I’m so glad you were encouraged. You also encourage and bless me, too! Blessings, love and hugs right back to you, dear sister! xoxo
Oh this is so good, Gayl. What precious encouragement and affirmation of God’s Word to me for this year too: especially the words “awaken”, “expectations” “guaranteed” and “expect answers”. These are all truths God has been sowing into my heart, as I’ve been praying and reading His Word in the past few weeks especially. Look what’s playing in my ears:
https://youtu.be/8X8ioiJxiTE
Thank you, dear Anna! I’m so glad you were encouraged! I love the ways God confirms what He’s teaching us in His word. Our God is great and awesome! Blessings and love to you, dear Anna! xoxo
And I just had to come back and say how precious it is that L. placed those three butterflies on the page. It makes me think of Christ’s prayer at Gesthemene to make us all One, just as He is One with His Father and the Holy Spirit. Expect answers, He tells us. Oh may we see the faith of little children move mountains this year.
Yes, it is precious! And after that I let her make a journal page of her own using a variety of things I had already cut out. She loved it! Yes, may we see the faith of the little ones move those mountains! Blessings and love! xoxo