We all need hope. We all need someone to walk with us and remind us that no matter what, there is hope right smack dab in the middle of the hard things in life. My hope that this Hope Circle will be an ever constant reminder of truth: You are loved. You will never ever be left alone. You have hope.
To order HOPE Circles today please complete the form at the bottom of the page.
FIG
Found deep within our Hope is the promise of purpose and destiny. And oh, how we all long for it to be time! We cry out for our season -- the time when we will run with our Beloved to the higher places. “Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you? The early signs of my purpose and plans are bursting forth. . . Arise, my love, my beautiful companion, and run with me to the higher place. For now is the time to arise and come away with me.” (Song of Songs-TPT)
This verse is literally translated, “The fig tree has sweetened and puts forth its early fig.” The fig tree becomes a vivid picture of purpose and destiny. That ripe little fig, with a million promises inside, holds such hope for us! After all the fear—after all the holding back—after all the rains and swirling winds of uncertainty, the time is here. You can run without fear! You can leap from mountain to mountain, for the time of bondage is gone! There need not be any more hiding, for the One who sees you longs to pull you away with Him to high and secret places.
AND SHE DANCED
And she danced among the stars, the golden light reflecting onto her awe-struck face. Her smile shone more brightly than the lights of the night as she created the music deep within her soul. Gone was the cacophony of notes long ago, the notes that plagued her mind and stole her heart. She felt brand new in this place, like a different person altogether. As she twirled, she caught sight of a million tiny specs swirling in the air like confetti. She knew deep down that what had once been fiery darts were now golden raindrops that dripped from her hand as she reached up to feel for the scars on her chest. The scars were gone, but there was a fire in her heart, a fire that felt both joyful and quite triumphant! She could not contain her Hope as she jumped and tried to capture every single one. She relished the joy and the Hope and the beauty all around her as she whispered into the night air, “May I never forget.”
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” 1 Peter 1:3-6
HOLDER OF HOPE
Two halves of a whole Hope Circle -- I love the thought of two people having a piece of each other -- having a constant, visual reminder of the hope they share. When I began painting and writing what was on my heart for those who walk with others during hard times, I realized that sometimes we must hold onto hope for others. Sometimes, there is so much anger and confusion and sadness in the hearts of the hurting that they are just too weak to carry the hope we so long to give. And so we carefully hold on to each promise, each ounce of hope, until it is time. These two pieces were created to be hung side by side by the one holding onto hope, or miles apart if it is time to give that hope away.
Cry Your Tears
If I could I would cry your tears for you. I would hold your hand and brush the hair from your face. I would say, ‘Shhh, it’s okay, I’ve got this.’ I would close my eyes and imagine all of your tears—the ones you have cried, the ones you will cry and the ones that are gently streaming down your face. I would imagine there would be as many tears as the stars in the sky—too countless to number. And in my taking and in my carrying, your tears are turned to gold as they are greatly valued in my heart. Your tears are a treasure to me--an honor which I do not take lightly. If only I could…
*ONLY COMES IN 5X7
LET HOPE RISE
It takes great bravery to let hope rise when you are feeling anything but hopeful. There are many times when it would be so much easier to give up on hope–our pain acting as a buffer between us and hope, keeping us in a place that feels familiar, safe and hidden.
But hope doesn’t let you give up! Hope asks you to keep coming back with your longings and deep desires. It asks you to sit right inside this longing because that is actually where hope can be found.
Hope is found in the longing.
The truth is that nothing on earth will ever quench our desires. We were created to long for things we will only find in heaven. But to ignore our deepest longings for fear they will never be met is to ignore the sheer power of God in our lives. So, we keep coming back to God. We keep pursuing His heart for us. We keep believing He is good in the midst of our hurt and we keep trusting Him with our fragile hearts. We keep hoping.
Let the white-hot fire of hope rise up in us such that nothing of this world can quench our desire.
HOPE WILL SHINE
God looks beautiful on you!
When I look at you, I see a hope that shines so bright! I see all of the many promises He has fulfilled in your life and even those yet to come. I see the beauty of surrender in your hands and a trust in your heart that defies the gravity of this world.
When I look at you, I see a joy that has been fought for on your knees. You radiate with a light that shines so much brighter in the darkness.
When I look at you, I see Him.
“Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super abundance until you radiate with hope!” Romans 15:13
UNEXPECTED HOPE
Like finding a flower in the desert, hope can feel so out of place in the dry and dusty lands of life. And if we are being completely honest, hope can seem quite irreverent to our pain. But it’s here, right smack dab in the middle of the heartache, anger and frustration, where hope shines the very brightest.
Hope can be so unexpected tucked right inside the hard things in life. Bu,t if you look closely, you will see that the mountains you climb are the very doors to hope.
May this Hope Circle be a tangible reminder that hope is never reliant on what is going on in your world. And may you see the unexpected beauty in your story as God fulfills His promise to use every single thing for His glory and for your good.
“Therefore, I will allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope.” Hosea 2:14-15
FULLNESS
May God’s glory so fill your heart that His love spills over into every crevice of need and desire. There is no ceiling to His love for you. There are new depths and new heights He longs to take you to, and there are no barriers holding you back. He is the Bridegroom coming for His bride with the strength of an army and the gentle touch of a father. His Spirit so completely fills His church–running, dripping and covering every body, sin and need. This is the promise of the fullness of God.
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height–to know the love of christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14
What’s Included:
Hope Circle Print
Hope Circle Card
This a print of original artwork by Brooks Duell. Images may not be reproduced, resold, or used in any form without written consent.
Prints will be shipped flat in a plastic protective sleeve with backing inside a Brooks Duell mailer. Orders are shipped USPS First Class Mail.
All sales are final.