A Timely and Powerful Lesson from my Great-Grandmother’s Quilt
I am generally an upbeat and positive person. I enjoy searching for the silver lining and making things better. One of my strengths from the Strength Finder’s Test (Gallup) is maximizer. Basically, I like to make things better than they were before.
I can also be a blob. I go through periods when I feel entirely unmotivated. During these seasons, I struggle to accomplish what needs to get done. Sometimes I can attribute my lack of motivation to exhaustion or feeling overwhelmed. However, many times I have no idea why I’m struggling with my level of gumption. I learned from experience to ride the wave and pray for whatever was hindering me to pass sooner than later.
Accept Emotions
In a recent blog, I mentioned we need to own up to our emotions. Consequently, I’ve been working on identifying and claiming my emotions, positive and/or negative. Several weeks ago, I answered the following questions in my journal: Is my perspective too narrow? Is there something I need to add to my perspective?
My reply was “I need to add owning my emotions and/or state of mind AND recognize God can provide a way forward.”
The Quilt Lesson
I recognized my battle with “blob syndrome.” I experienced no problem getting up in the morning and going to work. However, once I returned home, I didn’t want to do anything. I found myself scrolling social media, watching random videos, or vegging out while watching TV.
On the morning I wrote the previous statement in my journal, God directed my attention to a quilt I had placed on the back of the couch. My great grandmother made the quilt, and I claimed it as mine, to use on my bed, when I went to college. I have displayed my quilt in every home my sweet Pastor husband and I have lived in.
The Quilt Pattern
The first thing I noticed was the quilt’s log cabin pattern. One notices more of the pattern when you look at it from a distance. My great-grandmother made the quilt from many small and seemingly insignificant pieces. However, when someone with the right skills combines the pieces together, he or she creates something beautiful.
God’s Spirit nudged my spirit. I recognized I can’t always see what God is creating or forming in me because I am too close. I just see small scraps here and there that don’t amount to much.
Throughout my life, I have known moments when I fully understood the benefit of a trial or difficulty I lived through. I gained enough distance from the circumstance, that as I looked back, I could see what God formed in my spirit. God reminded me I must choose to trust who He is and listen to His voice when He calls me to do something. In time, when I can see from a distance, God will reveal what He formed in me.
Hiding the Quilt’s Flaws
The second thing I noticed about my quilt was I hid parts of the quilt that needed repair by how I folded it. I have owned the quilt for a long time, and it has been used well. I mainly use it for decoration now because it makes me smile.
Again, God’s Spirit nudged my spirit. He pointed out that there are parts of me I try to hide. He knows I see various parts of my personality, appearance, attitudes, and thought life as less attractive. I think to myself someday I will fix those areas, just like I periodically think I need to find someone to repair my quilt.
God revealed that all those worn spots, rips, and separated seams are part of my story. Yes, God’s Holy Spirit needs to repair areas in my life. And I don’t need to always present myself as perfectly put together. I exhibit God’s love, grace, growth, and acceptance in the less-than-perfect parts of my story.
My Quilt is a Blessing
The final thing I noticed was my great-grandmother invested time, patience, and commitment to create the quilt. I never knew my great grandmother, but I received a gift that has blessed me for years.
Once again, God’s Spirit nudged my spirit. He reminded me how He wants to bless me. I knew from the scripture I read that morning; God is committed to investing in me. He sacrificed His Son and offers me forgiveness and joy in His presence.
I knew I needed to own up to what I was feeling and experiencing. Then, I needed to listen to God and the wisdom He wanted to give me. I knew I must choose obedience and do whatever He set before me to do, believing He’s sewing scraps together to create a beautiful pattern.
More than Scraps
Each of us is a quilt in the making. We are a jumble of scraps that our creator is arranging and sewing together to create a masterpiece. We must choose to trust what He chooses to use, and how He chooses to put our pieces together. He is God, there is no one like Him. He can use my maximizer days, as well as my blob days if I will surrender all my pieces to Him.
