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Traditionally, blue irises symbolize faith and hope.  When it comes to faith, some find it hard to believe in what is invisible. Trusting God does not come easy for many people in our materialistic culture where the spiritual realm can seem unreal, unimportant or irrelevant. The 19th century French artist, Courbet, famously stated that he would not paint angels because he painted only that which he could see.  The result was – in my opinion - dark, gloomy and altogether joyless work. It’s as well that Michelangelo didn’t have the same attitude as Courbet!

 

“Iris” also refers to the coloured part of the eye, so it’s interesting that in order to believe, one needs to see with the eyes of faith and not look to the physical world for spiritual answers. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that even if our faith is only as small as the tiny mustard seed, we can overcome that “big immovable mountain” of problems by focusing on Him rather than on the mountain. Genuine trust in God is not something we can manufacture or develop in our own strength: it is a beautiful gift from God and all we have to do is ask Him for it.

 

Coupled with faith is hope: where there is no faith there can be no hope. Hope is the life force that keeps us going and gives us something to live for.

 

“Faith is praising God in the storm; Trusting Him in the valley; Following Him in the darkness" (@womenoffaith)

 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13)