Back early in retirement I was reading a devotional every day, which often made me look differently at things in my world. I could see parallels all around me. God was speaking to me from the natural world and by the people who surround me.
I began to write devotionals about this God’s majestic world.
I came across this journal book that I had begun (2009) and
now find the urgency to place my thoughts in a more secure place.
Jan 2010
Philippians 1:6 Being
confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Much like the wonder of God’s grace – Jesus was sent to carry our burdens
The wonder of things seen through the eyes of a child are sometimes the very things that are burdens to adults. In the olden days, every resource was valuable, and nothing was wasted. My mother’s clothes were homemade, and her underwear were made from flour sacks. She was raised during the Great Depression. The discarded fabric scraps were never wasted but were sown into delicate patterns as a quilt top. Everyone of us could recognize a special piece in the quilt. We were all part of that special pattern. *
When Mother was a small girl in rural north Texas, the men would work the fields in the morning and return for the noon time meal. Once they were fed, the men returned to the fields for the remainder of the day. Once the dishes were cleared, the womenfolk which included neighbors, relatives, and friends, would gather to work on the current quilt. A frame which was suspended from the ceiling would be lowered and all the women would work around the edges to quilt by hand as they attached the batting to the quilted piece. As a child, Mother loved resting on the underside of this huge workspace, watching with intrigue the hands of each individual as they weaved the needles in and out, up and down, and around. She admired the different techniques. These women had the ultimate goal of finishing a treasured blanket which would bring needed comfort during cold winter nights. It was a time when the ladies could socialize and as the voices droned on, a child underneath found awe in this seemingly simple task; these tasks that were at times heavy burdens for mothers and fathers. Yet a child would look on with utter contentment not fully understanding the responsibility these women faced in their daily lives.
This is much like the burden that Jesus Christ carried as he
died on the cross for our sins
*It certainly brings the quilt full circle to realize how much I was loved, recognized as being valuable, giving me a sense of ultimate functionality and the ability to lean on one another as we must lean on God to carry our burdens.
Dear Lord, Make each day the same for me in that I will find comfort in your words. Let me recognize the value of living my life for you, that you may use me as an instrument in your hands so that others may see Jesus through me.
