The Joy Quilt

This past summer, the Lord laid it on my heart to complete a project that had been long abandoned – not by me, but by my grandmother. Fifteen years ago, my grandma decided to make a quilt for me. She had made quilts for the other grandkids in previous years, and now my turn had come. I had been given several patterns to choose from, and a choice of colors. I can just picture her busily selecting the fabric at the store, bringing it home and starting to carefully cut out each tiny piece. I can’t even imagine how frustrating it must have been when, shortly after beginning my quilt, she was diagnosed with cancer. It was so painful to watch her slowly slip away as she fought bravely for three years until it finally took her life. The unfinished quilt, still in small pieces, was packed up and stored away.

When my parents decided to sell the house I grew up in, the quilt pieces were discovered and handed over to me in the hope that someone, at sometime, would make the effort to complete the project. So this summer, I decided it was time – and it was going to be me who did it.

I have never quilted before, but I knew enough to know that I needed the pattern – and it was missing. How was I supposed to put these pieces together correctly without the pattern? After all attempts at locating the pattern had failed, I decided just to lay out all the pieces on the floor and see what I could make of them. I did purchase a 'how-to' book for beginning quilters, which turned out to be all I needed. As I carefully tried different placements for the pieces, I eventually found an arrangement that I liked that would also be fairly simple to complete. Following my book step by step, my quilt slowly began to take shape.

I've always enjoyed creating things by hand, especially if it's something new that I never thought I could do before. I felt amazed at the results of my labor – and also sentimental at the fact that I was completing something my grandmother had begun. It was a group effort! The tiny fabric pieces she had put so much time into cutting out were finally being unified and given a purpose by my own pattern and my own hand.

Do you think that's how God feels about us? He certainly doesn't enjoy watching us suffer like we do – but how His tremendously creative heart longs to bring redemption and purpose into our brokenness! The Bible says in Psalm 126:5-6 that "those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." It's never easy having to endure seasons of sorrow, but if we remember that they are often necessary to bring joy and harvest, then we can learn to trust God more as we go through them. And even if you've spent years feeling guilty and regretful about something, it's never too late to bring it all to God. Only He knows the ultimate pattern that will bring all your pieces back together and have your life make sense. Like learning to quilt, all you need is the 'how-to' book – the Bible – that can take you each step of the way. Leave the big picture to Him.

Looking back, I'm so glad I took the time and effort to complete my quilt. In fact, I've named it my Joy Quilt. Partly because of Psalm 126:5-6, but mostly because my grandmother's name was Joyce, and I was given my middle name 'Joy' after her. I hope the quilt will remain useful and beautiful for generations to come. I also can't wait to get to heaven so I can tell grandma how her sacrifice of time and energy was not futile, but instead became a symbol of God's creative redemption.

Ruth-Ellen W.