John 14: 16; 26 (KJV) “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;” “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
This Saturday I am going to my first quilting class. I am very excited for many reasons. One of my lifelong friends is teaching the class and I will be going with my daughter-in-law! Before the mid 1950’s, the women in my family were all quilters – most out of necessity. We have lost this art form and I long to recapture that. I have a “quilt top” that my great-grand mother “pieced” in the early 1900 that I promised my mother I would finish someday. But this concept and practice of quilting connects with me on a much deeper level, a spiritual level if you will.
Quilting invites us to bring what we have to the quilting table. The scraps of our lives, worn, tattered, colorful and ultimately usable to the God who will “piece” them all together. The “batting” to go between the layers for warmth against the cold dark nights. The thread to hold the pieces together and to outline the beautiful pattern and design. As we come to the table, we may not see the design or how what we have to bring can even be helpful, but He knows how it will all come together. So we are invited to come, because my scrap of fabric may be exactly what you need to complete your “square”. The story of victory in your life may be just the encouragement and warmth I need against the cold dark night. Your “thread” may be the “third cord”, so that a sister is not “easily broken”. Around the quilting table we can be women who are teaching, learning, growing in grace, love, forgiveness and peace.
A preacher friend of mine tells a story of a woman in one of his first churches. It was a small, rural church and the ladies would come together monthly for “their meeting”. They would take turns teaching and sharing. This lady was uneducated and had never taken her turn leading the group. She felt like she had nothing to bring, but she had a desire to do her part. She came to her new, young pastor for help. He discovered that she was a master quilter and they set about to design a quilt that would tell the gospel story in the blocks. The finished product was a beautiful representation of God’s love and allowed this precious woman to find her voice and leave behind the intimidation and fear that she had felt. As she shared her quilt with the symbols of her faith, she talked about how the Holy spirt is the “comforter” in the cold, dark nights of our lives.
I pray that today you will be comforted by the Holy Spirit and encouraged to bring whatever you have to the table for Him to use, as He pieces together a beautiful quilt in His unique, exquisite design.
Shirley Chupp
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#shirleychuppblogs
