My grandmother was born in 1899.
She sewed by hand and on a treadle sewing machine. When I was a child, I loved to watch her pump the foot pedal up and down while she worked. I sat mesmerized by the low, rhythmic hum with each motion. She kept that sewing machine throughout her life. No matter what electric convenience Singer invented, she would have no part of it. All her creations evolved from the old-timey apparatus.
Her specialty was designing quilts. She stretched the sewn-together fabric on wooden quilt frames to keep the layers flat after she covered the base in batting. In a basket, she saved every snip of material left from making a dress or blouse until she had enough for the pattern she desired. My mother’s contributions from all the clothes she made for me helped fill the reserve. No remnant was ever wasted.
Most people would think those snippets of cloth were useless and send them to the trash pile. But my grandmother cherished each one, and when they were all assembled, the pieces formed a beautiful artistic creation that pleased the eye and kept the body warm.
Unexpected events can cut our lives with the scissors of tragedy and disappointment, leaving a trail of fragments behind. We can feel as if nothing will ever be healed or happy again. Our emotions drift toward the refuse heap, and without help, we can’t get out.
When we give the Lord our pain, He sutures our wounds with His healing hands. He adorns us with the thread of His love and acceptance. Our fragmented life grows into a colorful mosaic of wholeness.
Jesus doesn’t discard us no matter how hurt or broken we may feel. When we offer Him our shredded lives, He shows us how valuable we are to Him. He wastes nothing, as He demonstrated by telling His disciples to gather the leftovers after He had fed the thousands.
When pain fills your life, don’t give up. Offer your fragments to Jesus and let Him create in you a masterpiece.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Barbara Latta’s desire is to help others find intimacy with God through a deeper understanding of the power of the Word. She writes a monthly column in her local newspaper and contributes to devotional websites and online magazines and has stories in several anthologies. She enjoys riding motorcycles with her husband. Their rides inspired her book, God’s Maps, Stories of Inspiration and Direction for Motorcycle Riders. Barbara’s blog can be found at www.barbaralatta.blogspot.com. She has two grown sons and one daughter-in-love and adores being Mimi to her granddaughter.