Casandra Martin

I just finished a new quilt. I put the final stitches in, pulled the basting threads, and spread it out on the floor to admire it. It is so neat to see how pieces of fabric, batting, and thread come together to create something beautiful. On their own, each piece of the quilt looks insignificant. Most are small. They are cut at funny angles. Crooked edges are mixed in with straight ones. Some of the pieces are brightly colored and eye-catching. Many are in ordinary, nothing-special hues. But put them together, use a needle and thread, invest some time, and the results are extraordinary.

One of the reasons I love quilts is because they are a reminder for me of the way God is working in my life. Our days, our choices, our relationships, and our surrender are the pieces of fabric. Occasionally, there is a spectacular one, but most are ordinary by themselves. We look at our days, like them, but don’t always see their beauty. Only when they come together in the pattern God is working into our lives can we stand back and catch our breath in wonder.

Quilting requires dealing with knots, untangling thread, stretching the fabric in a frame, and using scissors. The struggles, stresses, knots, and tangles of our days are a part of our quilt. Each one is part of the process of putting together something beautiful. Each marks a moment when God is working His grace into the fabric of our lives.

Quilts tell a story. Each one is unique. Every quilt bears the mark of the person who held it in their hands. Time, energy, creativity, and love are woven into its design. No one makes a quilt by accident. God is using every piece of your life to make something that will reflect His beauty. He is using the pattern of His own heart to take the ordinary, average pieces of our days and turn them into something that will help the world see Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to open my eyes to the way God is putting the pieces of my heart together for His glory. He is going to use each piece, each experience, each surrender, each prayer, each moment spent in service, each sacrifice, and each person who touches my day to imprint His pattern deep into my quilt. There will be knots to untangle, stretching to do, and needles to thread, but each moment rests in the hands of the Master Quilter.