Blame it on Purple

In 2012 I was known as the “Purple Mom”. That was because of a business I was in, and my son was the CEO of that company. The color of the company’s logo was purple so in building my business, I wore a lot of purple.

I was fully invested in that company, and you could tell by how committed I was to advertising that would bring in more people into my business.

Last week, on my Gmail account, photos and videos on "this day" years ago showed up in an email. I called my husband over to watch a video of me speaking to my team about being passionate about their business. I was wearing my “purple” jacket! What a wild ride I had in the years I worked in that company. "Purple" filled my wardrobe!

What is your favorite color? I still love purple and when I think of purple, I think about Lydia in the Bible.

We know Lydia was from Thyatira which is in modern day Turkey. It was a city of ideas, culture, and business. Lydia was sort of like me. She was a businesswoman, a dealer in purple cloth, a color reserved for royalty.

Lydia did business with people who made clothes for kings and emperors. People in her town knew who she was from her skillful trade. I like to think she was creative, smart, independent, and skilled in her craft. If she had been in our day, no doubt she would have had all kinds of social media ads!

Scripture tells us Lydia was converted through the preaching of the Apostle Paul. She became a Christian and others in her household followed her example. Her home became a meeting place for believers in her town.

I am so struck by this, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention” (Acts 16:14). Lydia had an encounter with God, and she was changed by it. She attentively listened, became a follower of Jesus, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention.

That is my desire – to pay attention! I want my heart to be opened daily to hearing God’s voice, being moved by His gentle nudging, and on call when I sense He is telling me to do this or that – without reluctance.

Maybe you are right there with me – needing/desiring God to help you pay better attention to Him. Perhaps when we strive to stay connected with Him on purpose, we’ll be able to focus on the things, the people, the places, and the causes that matter most.

May we pay attention to where God is calling us, just like Lydia did.