Every Quilt Tells a Story by Emily Carter

Every quilt tells a story. Earlier this fall, a few of my cousins joined me in the Queen City (Charlotte, NC) for a girls’ weekend. We traveled uptown and visited the Mint Museum of Craft and Design. We toured the art gallery and enjoyed the American Quilt exhibit. We saw a quilt that spoke of hours of tedious work where no two pieces of fabric were the same. We saw one that had been made with a political voice instructing us as to which party we should cast our vote. We saw quilts of vibrant colors and one in solid off-white. Each one was handmade and unique; no two were the same. These quilts mirrored our lives. No two are alike. Each of us has been created uniquely to tell a story. For Christians, the stories may be similar as we recount who Jesus is to us, but still, every story will be different because Christ has done a special work in each of our lives.

All quilts have a pattern. The quilter must have a vision for what he or she is trying to accomplish with the creation. This thought as it applies to life causes me to ask myself some questions. I hope you will ask yourself the same ones.

* As I am sewing my experiences together, am I using the Master’s plan for my life?

* Or if someone was to look at my quilt, would they think that I am just haphazardly putting the pieces together?

* Am I trying to live my life by the detail of God’s plan or am I doing things my own way?

* What is my excuse for having pieces that don’t fit or pieces that don’t please God?

* What is my reasoning for unkind words and actions?

Yes, I am human and therefore I sin, but should I abuse God’s grace? The apostle Paul says no! I must live as the new creation that I am. I must seek the vision that the Lord has for my life and pray the prayer so eloquently penned in this old hymn.

“Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’ns Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.”

Ancient Irish hymn, possibly from the 8th Century, tr. by Mary E. Byrne

As friends and family look upon the quilt of your life, what do they see? Do they see a story of devoted service and undying love for the King? If not, know that it is not too late to change your story. What new pieces can you sew into your quilt to point others to Jesus? Merry Christmas!


On a personal note:

The last time I wrote for the Crossroads Communicators blog, I sought prayer for my daughter, Grace. The doctors were concerned that she might have a mass growing behind her eye due to the fact that one pupil dilated larger than the other. We thank you for your prayers and want you to know that God answered them in the best possible way. There was no mass or anything else unusual about Grace’s MRI results. Grace’s abnormal pupil is simply one more way that God creatively made her. She is an original and so are you!