SEWING LESSONS

A few years ago, I made a coverlet to use in the summertime on my bed.  It really has become more a  decoration than anything else. When I was making it, I constructed it as a quilt. However, I was afraid to use the decorative stitches on my new sewing machine, so it wasn't until two years ago I decided to quilt it using one of the decorative stitches. Suddenly, there before me was an illustration of our walk with God. When the machine and I worked together in perfect sync with one another the stitches made a perfect design. However, when I attempted to move the fabric at my pace, the design was all askew. When we work in sync with God as He guides us through the hardships, through the challenges, through the illnesses, through the stresses of everyday life, our  life is a reflection of Christ.
There is a story about an individual and many other souls as they faced their Maker at the last judgment. Before each of them laid their lives stacked as squares of a quilt in many piles and behind the piles was an angel sewing the quilt squares together which became a tapestry of each soul's life. As his angel took each piece of cloth each square was very  ragged and empty. They were filled with giant holes. Each square represented a part of his life that had been difficult, or challenges he had faced in everyday life. The hardships he endured comprised the largest holes of all. Looking around he noticed everyone else's squares were rich with color and only little holes here and there. Once again, he looked at the squares of his life and became disheartened. However, his angel continued to sew his ragged pieces of cloth together even though they were so threadbare it was like binding air. Finally the time came for each of them to display their quilt, to be held up to the light and the scrutiny of truth would be revealed. As each one held up their quilt, he could see the rich lives they had lived. Then the time came when the angel nodded for him to hold up his quilt. His gaze dropped to the ground in shame. He hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. He had love and laughter and there had been trials of illness and wealth, and false accusations. He had to start over many times and often struggled with the temptation to quit. However, somehow he always mustered the strength to pick himself up and begin again. He spent many nights praying, offering the difficulty, trial, illness to the Father asking for guidance. Now, the time had come and he had to face the truth: his life was what it was and he had to accept it for what it was. Slowly, he rose and held up his quilt and when he did one large awe-filled gasp filled the air. Confused, he gazed upon his quilt and much to his surprise, all the light flooding through the many holes created the image of the face of Christ. Then The Lord stood before him and with warmth and love in His eyes He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, till there was more of Me than there was of you.
In the same way I had a picture in my head of what the quilt would look like when it was completed, God has a picture in His head of what we will look like when we are completed. For that picture to happen each one of us has turned or must turn to the Master Potter, and as the song says you must ask the Potter to "Have Thine own way, Lord! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will... Fill with Thy Spirit 'till all shall see Christ only, always living in me!"