Hubby and I have been working on converting old slides to digital photos.
It’s amazing what you discover when going through boxes of old slides. Much to our surprise, we came across a Ziplock bag which contained a small collection of various quilt squares. What gems!
This quilt square here still has the pins in it … awaiting to be sewn together.
As I looked at this quilt square “still in the works” the passage of Scripture popped into my mind:
“Two men will be working in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. … So you must be ready, because the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” – Matthew 24:41-42, 44
The above passage of Scripture is speaking specifically of when Jesus comes back to the earth at the end of all time.
But as I carefully spread out each of the beautiful quilt squares, I couldn’t help but think this is how life itself is … we each have projects we are busily involved in. Then, one day God says our time on this earth is over. He calls us to himself in Heaven. And all the projects we were busy working on are left. Just as they are.
I have a number of projects “in the works.”
Hubby has all kinds of different projects “in the works.”
As I spread out each of the different quilt squares, I couldn’t help but imagine those who might come after hubby & me, and their discovering all of our projects left “in the works.”
It begs the question: What are we doing with our time? With this brief time God has given us on this earth, how are we using it?? Are we using it wisely?? Are we using our time for what matters most??
Each of the quilt squares is a treasured gem! I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post how I personally have found it very difficult and challenging to try to pick out fabric for sewing projects.
But as I looked at the different quilt squares, the incredible artistic gifting of the quilter is so obvious! Working on these different quilt squares was no different for the quilter than a painter working with a palette and canvas.
A Bob Ross quote which I really love is: “Painting teaches you to see, to appreciate. Pretty soon you’re riding down the street and you say, ‘Oh my goodness, look at that tree. That tree’s made of Sap Green with a little blue in it, or that cloud can be done with a fan brush.’”
I think this is the artistic gifting represented in these quilt squares.
Walking into the fabric store for the quilter and surveying the endless bolts of fabric was no different than the artist looking at all the many different tubes of paint available to work with.
For the quilter, looking at the varied pattern-designs on the fabric was no different than the artist deciding whether to use a “great big old brush” (as Bob Ross would say) to achieve a specific texture, vs the texture achieved with a fan brush; or whether to scrape paint down with the straight metal blade, or whether to dab the paint, etc. …
That is what I see in these quilt squares. I see an artist at work in the exact same way a painter would be at work. It’s amazing! It’s truly amazing!
“You have to have dark in order to show light, just like in life.” – Bob Ross
It is obvious the quilter understood (by intuition) the play between dark & light, in order to achieve aesthetically pleasing design.
“Painting should make you happy. Painting should bring a song to your heart, make you appreciate life and all the beautiful things that are happening around you.” – Bob Ross
Yes, quilting brought great joy and happiness to the precious person who made these beautiful quilt squares! Quilting brought a song to their heart!
“There are enough unhappy things in the world. Painting should be one of those things that brightens your day.” – Bob Ross
Yes, this was true of the amazing artistically-gifted quilter!
“And that may be the true joy of painting, when you share it with other people. I really believe that’s the true joy.” – Bob Ross
Each of these beautiful, intricately designed quilt squares was in the process of being made for someone else. This was the joy of the quilter – to use their God-given gift of sewing in order to love other people! To use that amazing gift to be a blessing to other people.
To bring glory to God, by loving & serving others … this is the purpose of life.
* God gives us each a brief window of time on this earth to accomplish that purpose.
* God gives us each our own unique gifts, talents, and abilities in order to accomplish this purpose.
The quilter who made these beautiful quilt squares accomplished the purpose well. People were loved well through this amazing gift. God was glorified through this amazing gift.
And now that brief time of using the gift to love people well and to glorify God – the time is over. The quilt squares are now left, just as they are … “in the process.”
When God says that our brief time on earth to love people well and to glorify him is over … what in our life will be left just as it is? What in our life will be left “in the process”??
I hope it will be something which boldly declares that yes, we indeed used our time to love people well … and that yes, we indeed used our giftings & abilities to glorify God.
