The Importance Of Hemming

In my recent sewing endeavours, I have learnt the importance of hemming. 

 

In order to prevent fabric fraying and carefully stitched seams peeling away from each other, it is essential to ensure that the fabric is first hemmed. 

 

I have learnt this the hard way.

 

I have been thinking a lot about Psalm 139 today and one of my favourite verses in it which describes God is this -

 

"You hem me in—behind and before."

[Psalm 139:5 NIV]

 

I love the idea of God being both behind me and in front of me.  I am covered on all sides.  He is literally guarding my back and protecting me out front.  He is in my past and in my future.

 

Inescapable.

 

Rather than making me feel claustrophobic and trapped by this idea that God surrounds me, it makes me feel safe and secure.  I am surrounded on all sides by a God who loves me, protects me, defends me, cares for me, fights for me, is passionate about me, is kind and gentle towards me and who delights in me.

 

And so, like my now-hemmed sewing, I will not fray.  I won't come apart at the seams, because God surrounds me.

H

God hems me in.  Behind and before.

 

The New Year And The Old Year

There is a tendency to think that new is better: new technology, new phones, new fashions, new house, new job.

 

'New' suggests hope and potential.  'New' suggests improvements.

 

In the same way, there is a tendency to view the new year as being guaranteed to be better than the old one, simply because it is 'new'.  We can look towards the new year as a sign of hope.  We can find ourselves full of excitement and anticipation for what's to come.

 

But in emphasising the goodness of the 'new', sometimes we can dismiss all of the 'old' as being bad or inferior.  It is easy to throw it all out in one go, without sifting through to find the things of value.

 

Instead, we need to learn to accept the good and the bad in our lives, in others and in ourselves together.

 

David prayed,

 

         "Investigate my life, O God,
         find out everything about me;
         Cross-examine and test me,
         get a clear picture of what I’m about;
         See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
         then guide me on the road to eternal life."

 

         [Psalm 139:23-24 MSG]

 

 

As the old year comes to a close, and we inevitably spend time reflecting on the year past and the year to come, let's acknowledge both the good and the bad and ask God to guide us on the road to eternal life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instant Upgrade

I have spent part of this morning updating all of the apps on my phone.

 

I have had notifications for weeks that there were new versions available and I have ignored them.  But something this morning moved me to action.

 

I'm not sure that they were all necessary, but I am now fully up-to-date (for the time being).

 

About a year ago, I attempted to update the software on my phone.  However, far from being the quick and simple task that I had imagined (and which I have enjoyed this morning), after four hours, not only had my phone not updated, it had crashed and frozen.

 

I had lost all of the data on my phone.

 

Apparently my laptop only had USB ports and not USB2 ports (who knew they existed?) and so the information couldn't be transferred because the USB port wasn't powerful enough (I'm sure it's more technical than that, but that was what I gleaned after many hours on the phone to the help desk).

 

Eventually - after locating a computer with the sacred USB2 ports - I was able to save most of my data and upgrade it.

 

However, since then, although I have upgraded the apps on my phone, I have avoided upgrading the software.  I don't want to risk losing everything again.

 

I think sometimes with spiritual growth and self-awareness, we have a similar approach: we hope that there will be some sort of 'Instant Download' or 'Instant Upgrade' that we can install in our hearts with very little effort or fuss.

 

The fear in engaging properly is that, as with my phone, the 'upgrading' process might wipe all of our previous data.  It might not be a simple task, we might have to re-enter some things and accept that other things are lost.

 

It might change us.

 

When David prayed and asked God to search and test his heart, he knew that it would be uncomfortable and would change him.

 

        "Search me, O God, and know my heart;
        test me and know my anxious thoughts.
        Point out anything in me that offends you,
        and lead me along the path of everlasting life."

 

        [Psalm 139:23-24 NLT]
 

Point out anything in me that offends you.

 

I'm not sure I like that prayer.

 

It is much more comfortable and much easier and far less time-consuming to simply not bother.  So what if we don't have the latest upgrade?  Are we really missing out? 

 

Lead me along the path of everlasting life.

 

If I want to walk in the path of life, I need to choose to engage with the process of 'upgrading', no matter how time-consuming or costly or inconvenient it is.  No matter how uncomfortable it makes me, or how much effort it takes.

 

If I want the full, whole life that Jesus came to give me, I need to wrestle with the issues that are holding me back.  No matter what it takes.


 

 

 

Hand-made

Today, I finished a patchwork cushion cover that I have been working on for at least a year.

 

There was a real sense of pride in my work as I finished and I am really pleased with it and with my achievement, as I wouldn't normally class myself as one of those people who's good at sewing. 

 

When I had finished, I couldn't wait to try it out and see what it looked like: on my bed, on my spare bed, on the sofa etc.  I was excited and I wanted to use it and I wanted to tell other people about it.

 

It's not perfect: some of my stitching isn't quite straight and some of the squares are different sizes or overlap slightly, but it is a labour of love. It is unique and individual and personal and it is something in which I have invested a lot of time and energy.

 

It is hand-made and it is something to be proud of.

 

And as I finished, it made me think (in a very small way), of how God must have felt after He had created each one of us. 

 

The Bible describes us as being designed and personally hand-crafted by God, stitched together by Him:

 

          "For you created my inmost being;
          you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
          I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
          your works are wonderful."

[Psalm 139:13-14 NIV]

 

And at the end of the creation story, the Bible says,

"God looked over everything he had made;

it was so good, so very good!"

[Genesis 1:31 MSG]

 

God looks at you and me and sees us as being so very good.  Not because we behave well, or do as we are told; not because we are without fault or flaw; not because we never make mistakes or because we are perfect.  But because He made us. 

 

We are hand-made by the hands that hold the world.