Made With Love?

I did something a little different this year.  I handmade all the Christmas gifts for the family (23 in all)– except for the two beautiful walking sticks handcrafted by my Dear Husband, Russ.  Most seemed to appreciate my efforts and I even had three requests for additional items.

 





Russ makes a good model, doesn’t he?!?!




















Then, between Christmas and New Years, I had a houseful of teens.  The two from out of town spent the entire time here and the three local ones spent most days and several nights here as well.  On New Year’s eve, we had all 5 teens for a New Years watch party and sleepover.

In a word, EXHAUSTING!!  Added to that, I was trying to fulfill a request by one of the girls to make her a dress – customized to her specifications.  Normally not a big deal but with all the things I had just made and all the company and busyness of Christmas, I was tired.  Still I worked on the dress, but didn’t quite get it finished in time for her to take it home with her when she left.

 After all the kids had left and most of the mess was cleaned up, I began to work on the dress.  I wasn’t happy.  The granddaughter had said she would help and she didn’t.  She had told me of a life style decision she is making and wanted me to support that.  When I said I would accept her but could not approve of her choices, she became upset and all the cousins rallied to her side.   For the first time ever they were rude and disrespectful to us and our home, and even left behind some disrespectful posters they had made while they were here.

And so as I worked on this dress, I grumbled and complained.  “She doesn’t deserve this dress,” I thought.  “She needs to show more respect and make better choices.”  “I’m tired and don’t feel like working on this dress.”

Have you ever heard that ‘still, small voice?’  I did and it was not very small!!  Like a gentle knock on the noggin, I heard God say to me, “You can sew that dress and make each stitch a knot of your hurt and resentment or you can use the sewing time to pray for this child and fill every stitch with love.”

WHOA!  How many times have I asked God for something that I didn’t deserve.  God has never broken a promise made to me and He has continued to love me even when I have wandered away from His best plan for my life.  I made a promise to this granddaughter to make her a dress.  It was up to me to stitch it with either resentment or love…my choice.  I am almost finished with it now, and as I sew, I pray for this child.  When I give her the dress I hope that she will feel my love.  When she wears that dress, I pray she will be enveloped not only in my love, but in some way, will feel God’s love as well.  She was dedicated to God as an infant and I trust that someway, someday her heart will turn back towards Him.  In the meantime, I need to watch my attitude and always finish each stitch with love.



( It’s a costume based on a Japanese  (Anime) cartoon character.  I don’t understand – but this is what she wanted!!)

Just As I Am

I woke up this morning with the words to that old song playing through my head.  Like so many of the hymns that I remember as a girl, this one is no longer heard that often.  But as I thought about the words, I found myself humbled by the simplicity,  yet profound meaning, found in those words.

“Just as I am…”  I don’t have to get dressed up or cleaned up to come to Jesus.  There is nothing I can do to make myself presentable or worthy of His love, and yet that love is all encompassing.  He is always there waiting for me…just as I am.

“without one plea…”  When you are arrested for breaking the law and you go to court, you are required to enter a plea.  Which of us, when standing before God in our own flesh, could enter a plea of “Not Guilty?”  Yet, we can come boldly to his throne, knowing that we are guilty but not having to enter a plea because…

“…but that thy blood was shed for me…”   When that criminal stands before the judge and enters a plea of “guilty” he can expect to receive a sentence commensurate with his crime.  He will serve that sentence, and his offense will be on his record.  But because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ I can stand guiltless before Him and there is no record of my crimes.  He has already paid my debt.

“…and as thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God I come, I come.”  What a wonderful promise.  He stands with arms held wide, bidding, calling us to come to Him.  Not because of anything we can do on our own but because we are clean and free through Jesus.  We can rest our weary heads on his welcoming shoulder and receive comfort in our time of need.  How wonderful that we can say with confidence…”I come, I come.”



I love the last two lines of this song “…because thy promise, I believe, O lamb of God I come, I come.”