Monday, September 15, 2008

Many days I have had holes in my finger. Oh, not big holes or anything major, just small ones; several small ones. How does that happen, you ask? Well, I spent many days making old things become new. One morning twelve dresses lay in a pile in various stages of despair; one dress I felt certain to be destined to the toy bin for playtime use only. But at the end of the day, I held twelve beautiful little dresses -starched and ready to wear. Thanks to a very sharp needle, various colors of thread and my, by then holy fingers, these dresses, some 25 years old, are as good as new. To explain the holy fingers I need to tell you non-sewers that in hand stitching as you push the needle in the fabric with the tip of your finger, it also tends to push a hole in your finger. That day, after repairing twelve dresses and hemming two pairs of pants, I was certain that a drink of water might also allow me to water the plants!
But it was a task I loved doing. Those handmade dresses had been worn by so many little girls and it showed. Little shoes had torn the hems, Sunday lunches had left their mark on collars, and unauthorized play times had taken its toll on side seams and sleeves. I have to admit these dresses were sad, but as I mended them I smiled thinking of my daughters, nieces, and granddaughters who had already worn them. I could see them running in the parking lot eager to get to Bible class or to a wedding, climbing over church pews, smiling for a camera trying to capture a time that would never happen again and just laughing.
They were always oblivious to the work that had gone into the dress they wore. Sometimes I would see them chasing each other wearing a dress I had spent hours carefully smocking and stitching. As one pulled on the other’s dress I wanted to shout, “Be careful. Slow down. I worked really hard on that dress.” But, I just let them run and play.
I suppose that’s how God must feel. He watches us run through life and we get sort of beat up and He wants to shout, “Be careful. Slow down. I worked really hard to make you.” But He doesn’t. Not in that way. You see, as humans we have to work backwards. I have to wait for the dress to get beat up before I can to sacrifice my fingers to repair it. Not so with God. We begin our life with God’s sacrifice for us already in place. The holes in His son’s hands were made long before we were tattered and torn, yet it’s those holes that give us the joy of being made new every day. Many days our hearts our ripped and torn by life. God carefully stitches us back together and we begin each day in God’s hands, not as good as new, but as if we were never torn to begin with--absolutely brand new.
I love this scripture in Ephesians. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
Moms, God continually raises you up. On days when the laundry is high, you are raised up higher; on the days when the rent payment is high, you are raised up higher; on the days when the job list is too high, you are raised up higher. God’s unconditional love raises you up and gives you the power and strength to meet any obstacle!

Have a great day celebrating God’s unconditional love for you! Hugs, Chrys

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