Lessons from a quilter

Finished but not perfect.

I am pretty embarrassed about the poor job of quilting on my latest quilt. It is definitely not up to my standards. However it is finished and I am learning. I have had it on the shelf for over 6 months and it is time to be done with it. I have taken out the quilting several times and realize on this particular quilt it is not going to get better.

While working on this last night God began speaking to me about this less than perfect quilting job. In it there are lessons to be learned. Life is not perfect. Sometimes we need to look at the big picture instead of the details that are less than desirable. For example I am going to give this quilt to the caring pregnancy center. Some new mom is going to receive it. Her life is definitely not perfect at the moment. Yet look at the big picture. God is creating life in her, a new creature with all kinds of possibilities. This baby probably won’t care if the quilting is a little bumpy on his or her quilt. It is cute and will keep him warm. It will provide comfort when things aren’t going right.

In days to come there will be activities such as going to the zoo, their first Christmas, birthday celebrations, school days and vacations. Often there are little details that can spoil things if we let them. We are running late, we fight and quarrel. The baby throws up all over everything; we get lost on the way….. A million things can go wrong and often do. This is the time to forget the details and look at the big picture. Memories are being made. If we don’t make a big deal over the imperfections we can still find joy in being together. Life goes on. Don’t demand perfection of yourself or your child or others. It will never happen.

Love is greater than perfection. Love covers a multitude of mistakes. So concentrate on looking for the good in every situation and overlooking the imperfections.