Monthly Archive: February 2017

#livepurple

Heaven help me, I used a hashtag! If you’ve followed us for any length of time you may have noticed I don’t ever use hashtags. It’s not that I have anything against them, rather I don’t understand them, nor do I have any clue as to what their purpose is. Except of course you can squish a whole sentence into one line with no spaces, punctuation, or capitalization. When it comes to grammar it is absolutely scandalous! So, since I don’t understand them, I ignore them.

However, that little hashtag above is a different animal. During Kayleigh’s battle, a friend coined that little phrase “live purple.” Those two words seemed to encompass the idea of living like Kayleigh. Facing the world head on, trusting, believing, smiling, laughing… like Kayleigh. I liked that hashtag. #livepurple is this abstract ideal that seems to capture the essence of Kayleigh – at least in my mind.

One day last week a dear friend asked me what it really meant to “live purple,” and I have been mulling it over ever since. It means so many things to me, but all of it equates back to the feeling of peace, joy and contentment that comes when I’m resting in the arms of Jesus. It is a profoundly life-changing experience to watch the storm swirl all around you and yet not have a hair on your head mused by the winds. That was Kayleigh. That was Kayleigh living purple. Most days she lived without fear and was full of joy, even when things looked bad.

The back of her t-shirts say “faith, hope, love, strength,” those are the pillars of living purple. I don’t have enough time to touch on them all tonight, so, I think we’ll work through them one at a time over the next few days. But tonight I’m just thinking about the color purple in general. When you read about purple in the bible it is a precious thing. It was used for alter cloths and expensive robes for the wealthy. It was a status symbol.

Luke 16:19
19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.

Living a purple life – one that is full of peace, hope and contentment – no matter the situation – is far more precious than wealth. After our experiences these past 8.5 months I know God’s grace, goodness and mercy are more valuable than any treasure I can find on earth. Those gifts from God are the deepest of purple – the most precious treasures. They grant you the ability to smile, hope and be at peace – always.

Matthew 6:21
21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Isaiah 33:6
6 In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜
#livepurple