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Monday, January 19, 2015

Sewing and Salvation

A few months ago I blew up my sewing machine. Don’t ask. But, I will say it was my husband’s fault. He didn’t get me the right converter. In fact, he didn’t buy me a converter at all. But, in his defense, he did tell me not to use it until we got the right voltage, but that was 11 months ago! And, I took a chance and after the big BANG, some nice white fluffy smoke shot out of my machine.

Now that I have vented, the end result is that a new sewing machine was birthed out of the blow up! The machine blew up. My husband and I didn’t blow up at each other. He is sweet.

My New Sewing Machine!
 
Moving on . . . Last night and today, I used my new machine for the very first time. It was awesome, sort of. First, a good friend came and showed me the ins and outs of this machine. Piece of cake, I thought. And, it was, until the stitching was pulling from the bobbin color on the other side. So, a call to my friend occurred. Thank goodness for friends. Second, I decided to get fancy and use one of those fancy computerized stitches. Yes, it looked awesome, but do you know how LONG it takes to sew something with those stitches? So, luckily, I was able to just use that stitch on one side and go back to the “fast stich.” But, then, I inadvertently sewed two seams opposite of how they were supposed to be sewn. Oh no, I had to get out that pesky stitch remover (ah, yes, they are called seam rippers) and what a hassle. But, when all was said and done and my project was completed, I was pretty happy. Yes, it didn’t fit quite like I would like it to, but I’m not perfect and I fudged a little on my homemade pattern to avoid more work for myself.

Seam Ripper and Other Sewing Tools
 
Upon completion . . . While it wasn’t my first time to sew, I started to think about how God felt the first time he sewed. In fact, it is the only time we read about God sewing in the entire Bible.
“[Eve] was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.” Genesis 3:6-7.
Later, after God confronts them and explains what will happen, “the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” Genesis 3:21.
I wondered how God felt sewing these clothes for Adam and Eve. First, I am sure he felt extreme sadness that he was even sewing. They sinned and he was grieving. But, he was taking them at their lowest point and helping them to move on. That is God for you.  How do we feel when we sin? Sometimes we have friends to help us out of our sin, depression, uneasiness, or whatever we want to call it. Sometimes, we remain in our sin for a long time – sort of like spending all that time on that fancy stitch that took so long for me. But, we can get out of it quickly, but we must decide to do something else, or go a different direction. But, what happens when we mess up and go in an opposite direction from the Lord. Just like when I sewed two seams together incorrectly. I had to make a decision to undo the error and change directions. It wasn’t easy, but the end result was a peace and joy about my project. In 1 Peter 5:7, the Bible says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” God’s Holy Spirit is waiting to rescue and care for you today.
Do you feel you are going in the wrong direction like Adam and Eve did? Have you committed a grievous sin like they did? God wants to help. Just because your mother or grandmother was a good cook or a good sewer does not mean that you will be one also. Do not think that just because your father or grandfather was a good man who served God regularly and spoke of the joy he will have in heaven that you will automatically go to heaven also. You must make that decision yourself.
The Bible says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23. But, we can choose to ask God to forgive our sins, accept his offer to “sew” us up and make us whole. Today, seek God yourself and you will be “sew” happy you did. Let Him press out the wrinkles of your life and allow Him to make you the beautiful person that you were made to be.


Ironing Board and Iron
Author Patti Londa Greene
Awaken Me: A Devotional Prayer Journal (ISBN 978-1-4627-2578-6)
God, It's Me: 181 Days for Young Adults to Become Passionate about Prayer and Bible Study (ISBN 978-1-4627-3821-2)