Created to craft! That was one of the themes of a craft retreat I attended a few months ago. This weekend got me excited because I like to craft occasionally, I was undeterred by the fact that I am not crafty, creative, or precise. However, I do not like to follow the rules or instructions and usually get too impatient to finish any project. I, also, like to collect all the fun and flashy supplies, but soon become irritated that my project does not meet my expectations with my unpolished skills or in the time constraints I think it should be achieved.
The objective of this weekend was to bring a project you were currently working on. However, this non-crafty girl did not have a current project and I also did not have a past, present, or future project. Therefore, I settled on taking my computer to accomplish a little work but planning toward mostly fun and friendship time. I am not sure what I expected from this retreat. Admittedly, I do not think I paid much attention to the craft part. I was too focused on the retreat part.
That said, the weekend was such a treat. It was a combination of relaxation and creativity coupled with amazing food and friendships. Another bonus was learning craft techniques while enlarging and improving those friendships.
Despite not having my own project, I was able to observe some of the most talented women working on various projects like card-making, watercolor painting, knitting, sewing, and quilting.
I had a whole weekend learning from these ladies.
I wished everyone could spend a weekend with the talented quilters I met at the retreat. These talented quilters were designing quilts at all different stages. They were taking snippets of fabric and carefully piecing them together to create beautiful works of art. The colors and shapes of these bits and pieces were being used to form a kaleidoscope in the patterns. Although a pattern is followed, each project is unique in its own special design. I was fascinated by the precision and unique skills required for each cut and stitch required to piece a quilt together. Along with these quilters, I know many other talented quilters that I have met through my life. I am not a quilter myself as I can barely turn on a sewing machine. I am amazed at the skill they possess.
I learned from these quilters that not all fabrics are the same. There are so many to choose from and nothing is really the same from fabrics like elegant silks and velvets to sturdy wool and also to common cotton. I was reminded many times during our time together that just as these fabrics are different, our personalities and abilities in our own lives also differ in a multitude of different ways. Each of our different personalities are needed just as the different fabrics are needed.
Along with differences in fabric, I also learned that there are also many different quilt patterns from which to choose. Thinking about different patterns made me think of the similarity to these patterns, each of us have been given with different personalities and gifts. Some are colorful and refined, like the wedding ring pattern. Others are determined and steady like the Texas Star. Some of us may meander a bit like the Rail Fence. The chaotic hodgepodge of the Crazy Quilt is the one that speaks to me and is much like me and my personality.
Although, I do not create quilts myself, I own several quilts. I have been gifted with one that was crafted from my Papaw’s shirts and another from my husband’s, Lon, grandmother’s aprons. I, also, have a double wedding ring quilt that my mom bartered to acquire for me. These are all priceless keepsakes to me because of the memories that accompany them.
Do you think that God sees us and His design for our lives in the same way we look at the quilts in our lives? Like priceless works of art. Created and crafted by His design. In the same way as a quilter designs a quilt so does God have a vision and design for our lives.
This is what the Lord says to Israel before they are captured by Babylon.
This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” – Jeremiah 29:10-14
The children of Israel had a design and plan that God had for them. Similarly, each of us has a unique design and plan. Though we may share common traits, we all have a heritage, nationality, time, place in history, and even our personality sets us apart from all others. God will use all those “designs”’ for his design and plan for our lives.
The shape and pattern of our lives are visible to others around us, but God alone sees the sometimes raw, untidy interior of our lives. Just like quilts, our lives are made up of many and varied experiences. Some are deeply broken and dark while others are bright and beautiful.
One of my favorite quilts is one that is not appealing to the eye. I am not even sure how old it is. It is not in the best shape. I do not even think it is a specific pattern. It was given to me at rummage sale many years ago. It was headed to the trash, and I did not have the heart to leave it behind. This poor quilt required assistance. I took it to my Granny who was one of the great quilters I mentioned earlier. I can remember her sitting in her chair with a needle in hand patching this quilt with her own clothes she had cut up to patch it. This quilt is a little like my life. It has had some hard times. It has holes and it is imperfect.
I must confess there are times in my life that feel like this quilt. Lost, forgotten, and believing I don’t have any considerable purpose and worth. My mind is sometimes focused on my many shortcomings and flaws. Maybe you to find yourself feeling this way. You may be feeling lost, forgotten, without purpose, and worthless. Life has a way of causing those feelings in us.
As real as those feelings seem God has created us with purpose and worth. I, often, feel guilty for having inner conflict with the opposing truths that I feel between my feeling of worthlessness and God creating me with worth.
However, during the times of pain or when I feel hopeless, lost, unloved, without purpose, or worth God tells us the truth of what He has done and for what purpose He has created us in the scriptures.
I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. – Psalm 139:14a
If David, in Psalm 139, was loved enough to be “remarkably and wondrously made” then I must be as well even if I don’t feel it. God has shown me over and over that I can to trust and take Him at His word. The quilt cannot sew itself no matter how hard it tries. It has to rely on the quilter to make it into a beautiful work of art. God, the Creator, knows His original design for you is and how it works into His master patchwork plan. I pray that together we can trust in whatever pattern, design, and materials that God has chosen to use in us. We should not take our existence for granted. Each of us has been created for a special purpose and we are unique and wonderfully made.
One final thing that I picked up from the quilters is that if you are going to quilt that needles are required to make the quilt by hand or by using a sewing machine. When my granny had to patch the quilt, she had to pierce it with the needle to fix it. Pain is always a part of life. We all feel those needle pricks at some time or other. Pain and suffering can be used for learning experiences and can help us grow stronger. Typically, we cannot observe the outcomes of our lives that this pain will bring. However, God always can. He knows why each movement of the needle goes through our life.
We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us. – Romans 5:3-5
It was divulged by quilters that sometimes mistakes are made in quilting and a seam ripper must be used to cut out all the stitches and try again. By the grace given us through Jesus we are able to try again. We have a new life. New chances. God is able to take the pieces of our lives that we made a mistake with and sew them together perfectly with all the colors put together in just the right way. We can trust that the ultimate Creator has vision and skill to make the most beautiful thing we will ever have seen. It is this comforting love that God gives so sweetly even through our misstep and mistakes. Tim Keller speaks to this type of love this:
“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”
All in all, we cannot let the enemy whisper labels in our ears that we began to identify with and call ourselves. With the Lord at our side, we can continuously remind ourself that even with all the flaws and mistakes only God gets to say who and what we are we can trust Him and his big picture. By His design he has stitched us in His image. No other creation on earth can say that they are created in God image. Just as these quilters look on their works of art with love, so does God look on you, His creation, with love and purpose.
Tyler Settle
Women’s Ministry Associate
