Purple with pink polka dots

I had been in the room with Linda for about two hours already, but I hadn’t officially met her. I noticed her though because her laugh was infectious. And her wit was unmatched.

“Purple with pink polka dots,” she said to me.

I smiled at the 75-year old, white haired woman sitting next to me. In an activity to practice hearing God’s voice, we were encouraged to ask the Holy Spirit for a color for the person beside us. The color that popped into my head for my new friend Linda was white. She had a purity about her, almost childlike. And she oozed joy. White fit her well, I thought. And suddenly I heard her say to me, “Purple with pink polka dots.”

Linda laughed and said, “That’s the color that usually comes to me.”

I flashed quickly to my childhood. Pink and purple were my two favorite colors as a little girl. God has been showing me lately that he loves when I live like a child — that he delights in play, in laughter, in joy and fun. This was another beautiful reminder.

“Where does your joy come from?” I asked Linda.

“This life is really short,” she said. “It’s important to find the joy in the sadness and trauma. Before I started a relationship with Jesus, I was a very serious person. Over time, I’ve learned how to choose joy. Literally, the joy of the Lord is my strength now.”

“How do you do that?” I asked her. “My dad passed away in May and life has been really hard. I struggle staying above water sometimes, you know? How do you stay joyful when life is hard?”

“Life is hard,” she said. “My husband has Alzheimer’s and he’s living in a memory care facility right now. Life is hard. But when I get sad or angry, I shoot off an e-mail to 5 of my girlfriends and I ask them to pray for me. Usually, by the time I write it out I feel better, but I send it anyway.”

It was like God gently tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Here, I have another reminder for you, Lauren. Don’t do life alone. You were never meant to.” I’ve noticed lately that the times when I’m really sad or really angry or really upset are usually the times when I haven’t let anyone into my struggle. When I do finally reach out, oftentimes, that weight finally lifts and I have peace again. I’ve found God sometimes shows his love best by loving us through people.

I am so thankful God sat me next to Linda today. I love people who are older because they carry such great wisdom. To extend Linda’s legacy, I want to reach out to you right now and tell you the color I see over you. I’m sure you already know what it is.

“Purple with pink polka dots.”

Take some time to play today.

Joyfully,
Lauren