Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Indigo


It should be no surprise that I've decorated for Christmas using the color Blue.
My rooms are full of blue
year long
and every season.

But this year, Blue,
INDIGO,
has taken on a deeper meaning,
as I've looked at the Shepherds,
and felt the night watches
like never before.









Are you a blue person?  I think there are some of us who choose
the color blue as a favorite, for deeper reasons than we may have thought.  I usually pick "blue" whenever a random sampling of color faves is set before me. But it's not my only favorite. I waver between yellow and peach and lavendar, depending on my mood.

So where does this color feeling come from that is associated with blue?  

A friend sent me a link to this song by Fernando Ortega this week. It is a song that I sent to her several months ago.
And, it is a song that another friend had sent to me many
years ago, after I had my first glimpse of an
Indigo Bunting,
a beautiful blue bird that flashes like sapphire
if you are lucky enough to see him.



But the thing with this song is something I never realized until we moved into a house close to the woods, with a perfect setting for those beautiful birds. It really does take a stormy, cloudy day to see the full vividness of Indigo. On a sunny day, the color gets muted by the bright lights, but on those dark days, that flash of Indigo cuts through all of the surrounding gloom. 

And in the dark watches of the night,
what is the color of Hope that flashes through the gloom
in my heart?

I think God must have planned it this way.
Because even the ancient garment, the Ephod, worn by the
High Priest
was woven with that indigo blue.

"The three colors woven into the ephod were symbolic of Christ's incarnation, ministry, and second advent. The blue, probably indigo, was produced from a species of shellfish and speaks of Christ, who came down from heaven as the Son of God to do the Father's will."  


"They made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen."


This garment worn by the High Priest, and the dark blue of the night watches, where the Shepherds kept watch, they both point to this coming flash of light, a vivid awakening to HOPE where God met with the storms of mankind.

Jesus didn't come to a world that was bright and perfect and shining full of light.  No, He came right into a stormy mess, where a downtrodden people were crying out for justice, already having waited for what seemed like forever to find that clear patch of blue that was promised to them.

God opened the Heavens
and sent out His own dear gift of Indigo,
a patch of blue sky
to say 
"I love you"
to a world gone haywire.

In the night watches of these days
as my husband recovers from surgery,
and my weakened body
feels too overwhelmed
for a HOLIDAY,
my Lord parts the sky
and says
"I love you."

And Christmas is born again in me.

Is His Christmas born in you this year?
I pray that you will receive His gift
His
"I love you"
sent through the night.  






 




18 comments:

  1. Dear Bettie, It was SO nice to meet you today. I am so happy you stopped by my blog. Thank you for the sweet encouragement you left there. May God bless you abundantly. I enjoyed reading your post about blue. I tend to lean towards this color, too, but my true favorite colors are lavender and pink. :) God has made so many lovely colors for us to enjoy! May your Christmas be blessed!!

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    Replies
    1. Dear Cheryl, Thank you for stopping by here also! I'm thankful to make new connections! Oh, yes, isn't it wonderful to enjoy all the colors that our Lord has created for us? I pray that you have a Beautiful Christmas!

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  2. Dear Bettie, these are such uplifting words:

    "God opened the Heavens
    and sent out His own dear gift of Indigo,
    a patch of blue sky
    to say
    "I love you"
    to a world gone haywire."

    How I love that thought! And I'm also rather fond of indigo blue, too. Seems we have a few colours in common! Thank you for this beautiful post. It radiates the Light of Christ and speaks out His HOPE into the inky dark circumstances many find themselves in at Christmastime. May Christmas JOY be born in you again, sweet friend. May love and light and hope and peace penetrate the pain and fatigue of these night-watch days. Blessings, love and hugs to you! xox

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    1. Dear Joy, I am so thankful that you were blessed by these words today. You bring such great encouragement to me! I appreciate the sweet prayers that you offer here, and I'm resting in these words now that "love and light and hope and peace penetrate the pain and fatigue of these night-watch days." And, I will be praying those same thoughts for you, my friend! Happy Christmas to you! xoxo

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  3. Betti, Thank you for sharing this deeply introspective and beautifully insightful post!

    I loved all the word pictures you drew and your poem at the end was touching and filled with so much encouragement and hope.

    Merry Christmas!

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    1. Dear Karen, I'm so thankful that you found encouragement here. Our God is so good to open up these ways to share His thoughts with each other! I appreciate your encouragement too! Merry Christmas Blessings to you!

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  4. Beautiful and encouraging to think that some aspects of God's gifts can only be seen in the gloom. As always, thank you.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Sue,
      I am so humbled that you would be encouraged here, dear friend! Your thoughts always bring such great beauty to so many. May the Lord lift you up, and hold you close to His heart. Hugs!

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  5. I love Indigo blue. It's such a beautiful color. I'm glad Jesus came right into the "stormy mess" of the world to redeem us. How blessed we are to have a Savior who loves us so. Blessings to you, dear Bettie! As usual, your words are so encouraging. :)

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    1. Dear Gayl, Oh I'm glad that you too are a "blue" person! :-) And yes, we are so blessed by our Saviour's love. Thank you for being one of His servants, bearing such encouragement, my friend! Blessings and Hugs for you this Christmas week! xo

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  6. Hi Bettie!
    I popped in to say Merry Christmas to you, friend! I love your reflections on the color blue and you're so right that during the dark of the stormy sky is when we see the vibrant colors or the most interesting birds that come out to seek fish or food when the waters are stirred up. Storms sometimes usher in beauty! Hoping 2017 holds hopeful, uplifting days for you and your husband through recovery! xoxo

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    1. Dear Valerie,
      Merry Christmas to you too, my friend! I bet that you have some incredibly vibrant birds there in your area! Wouldn't it be something if my favorite Indigo Bunting winters close to you? Thank you for your kind and encouraging thoughts for me and for my husband's recovery also! xoxo

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  7. Saw my first indigo bunting in 2016! I hadn't realized they came this far north! So beautiful!

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    1. Yes, aren't they beautiful birds? I was amazed when I saw my first one flash by, in a suburb of Chicago, no less! Merry Christmas Blessings to you!

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  8. Oh thank you for sharing this lovely color from your perspective. I love this. The patch of blue is filling my heart. God's grace and love are amazing. And I'd love to see a blue bunting... God's creation of color is fascinating. Bless you.

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    1. Dear Wendy,
      I'm so thankful you were encouraged here today. Yes, isn't God's gift of color so amazing? I hope you will get to see one of those blue buntings also! They speak such hope to me! Blessings to you!

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  9. Love your thoughts on blue. Such a cheerful color and one that pairs with so many other colors. Merry Christmas. Visiting from #TellHisStory

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! Yes, aren't the colors that God gave us such a beautiful way to view His creation? Merry Christmas to you too!

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