Reworked by the Master Quilter

            I love to find forgotten treasures.  Those unexpected moments when I rediscover important things that I hadn’t seen in years are the best.  I got to have that happen in a big way a while ago.  As I was cleaning out a closet after my mom passed away, I came across three quilt tops.  These weren’t just any old quilt tops.  They had been sewn together by my great grandmother in the 1950’s or 1960’s when she was an elderly woman.  I never got to meet my great grandmother – she died 4 years before I was born.  But by all accounts, she was an angel on earth.  I know my mom adored her and I remember my mom showing me those quilt tops years before and telling me how she cherished them.  It brought back all the stories my mom had told me of this incredible woman.  I was thrilled to rediscover these carefully packed and stored treasures. 

I wanted them to be used and enjoyed.

            The last thing I wanted to do was store them away on a shelf again.  I wanted them to be used and enjoyed.  I knew I had no family to pass them on to and I would rather that they be loved and appreciated now than thrown away someday when someone else went through my closets.  I decided that I would have them quilted up and begin to use them.

I didn’t realize how very imperfect they were.

            I have a friend who is a master quilter and she was excited to have me join in on the process of quilting these tops up.  What I didn’t realize until I showed them to my friend was how very imperfect they were.  One top in particular was in rough shape. Blocks were cut crooked.  Seams strayed back and forth.  Nothing seemed to lie flat – there were billows and creases everywhere because of the unevenness.  To make this one even worse, the material that bordered the beautiful quilt blocks was some of the ugliest material my friend had ever seen and it certainly did nothing for the blocks.  I hadn’t even noticed!

God loves us for us, and He loves us because of who made us – Him. 

            How is it that I couldn’t see all the faults in the quilt?  Because I loved it and I loved who made it.  Maybe God is a little bit like that with us.  We, as humans, certainly have our uneven edges, crooked seams, and ugly material.  We don’t lay straight like we should, and nothing quite matches up.  But God loves us and sees us as beautiful, just like I saw my great grandma’s quilt.  He loves us for us, and He loves us because of who made us – Him.  Romans 5:8 tells us that God loves us even in our imperfect state: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  God loves us so much, even in our imperfections, that He was willing to give up His Son for us.  God loves us because He can see the “us” He intended us to be before this broken world introduced all the imperfections.  All God makes is good.  We see this in Psalm 139: 13-16:  “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.”

I knew that something had to be done with it. 

            That is not to say that God can’t see our faults.  He can see all the problems in the quilt of our beings just like my friend could see all the problems in my quilt top.  But He still loves us just like I still loved and wanted to keep and cherish the quilt.  I also knew that something had to be done with it.  I could see that all over my friend’s face.  I knew her abilities with quilts and so I decided to trust her.  A major overhaul began.

If I had hurried, I would have damaged the beautiful parts beyond repair. 

            It started with me removing all the ugly material.  I carefully picked out every seam that held the blocks trapped in that ugliness and kept them from showing out as beautifully as they could.  It took a lot of time – hours of carefully breaking and pulling out pieces of thread.  Hours of breaking that quilt top into pieces.  In fact, it seemed to take forever as I took out one little stitch at a time.  But it was necessary to take some time.  If I had hurried, I would have damaged the beautiful parts beyond repair. 

He works on us one stitch at a time. 

God is like that, too.  Hosea 6:1 tells us, “Come, let us return to the LORD.  He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds.”  Sometimes, He has to separate some ugly parts of our lives so that the real beauty of what He created can shine through.  Sometimes that takes time – a lot of time!  We wish that those seasons of life could be sped up.  We pray that God would just magically fix all the problems and let us get on with our lives.  But God is a master quilter.  He knows that if He moves too fast, it could damage the good parts that He intends for something else.  So He works on us one stitch at a time.  It is a process.  Philippians 1:6 tells us that:  “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Those little imperfections made it my great grandma’s quilt and not some impersonal work of art.

            Once I got the blocks freed, I took them back to my friend thinking we would just sew some new material in there and be on our way.  But even the good part – the blocks – were uneven, billowed, and crooked.  With the touch of a master, she took each block and began restitching crooked seams, trimming uneven edges, and pressing out wrinkles.  When she was done, we had 16 usable, beautiful blocks.  They were still not perfect – some of the colors were a little off.  Some pieces didn’t line up exactly.  It was still a quilt made by a very elderly woman.  And I loved that – it retained its character.  Those little imperfections made it my great grandma’s quilt and not some impersonal work of art.  But now her blocks could be put to use in a quilt that would be functional.

God doesn’t just want good for us – He wants the best for us.  And the best takes time.

            The next step was to find the perfect material to border the blocks with.  It looked so easy!  But one material would overpower them.  Another material would make them look pale and muted.  It took time to try many materials before we found the one that brought out the beauty of the blocks and could replace the ugly material that used to be there.  Do you notice that word again?  Time.  “Time” and “wait” are four-letter words when you just want the pain healed, the journey to begin, the fear to end.  But before the ugliness and pain can be replaced, it takes time to find the perfect material.  God doesn’t just want good for us – He wants the best for us.  And the best takes time.  Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things for our good – that He doesn’t just immediately make it good:  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

The creation and the work of the Master Quilter will shine out and it will be worth every broken stitch.

            Waiting is frustrating.  Having the ugly parts picked out to be thrown away is hard.  Having seams ripped open so that they can be healed and redone in a better way is excruciating.  Having those rough edges cut off is heartbreakingly painful sometimes.  But in the end, it will be like my great grandma’s quilt top.  It will retain the character and essence of who we are – the creation that God made in the beginning and loved. But it will be so much better – bright, beautiful, in harmony, and finally able to be useful and displayed, all to the glory of Him who made it.  The creation and the work of the Master Quilter will shine out and it will be worth every broken stitch.  God even promises us that:  “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)

It will end in something so wonderful, so useful, so uniquely beautiful, and so loved. And you will still be you.

            My prayer for you today is to have strength, comfort, and faith in whatever the Master Quilter is tearing out and reworking your life.  You are not going to dissolve and disappear in the valley of trial.  It will be a hard journey, but rest in knowing that He is with you.  He has a plan.  He will bring something of beauty out of this time that will take your breath away. I know you can’t see how that is possible when you are hurting so badly.  I know you wonder if He is there and when it will ever end.  But it will end.  It will end in something so wonderful, so useful, so uniquely beautiful, and so loved. And you will still be you – He will shine out of it and so will you.  I can’t wait to see what your finished quilt looks like. 

            I hope today’s message touched your heart, increased your understanding, and encouraged you.  Praying the peace and comfort of Christ Jesus on your life.