Stitches of My Life...

I have read this story many times, and now it is time for my version, what you are about to read may seem familiar to you, but it is in my own words.

I was watching Jesus make a quilt, to me it seemed all dark and dreary, and the threads seemed, to me, knotted and tangled. I asked Him why He would make such a quilt, and who it could possibly be for? He told me that this quilt was a representation of my life, and that He was stitching it together to make a beautiful masterpiece.

"That, a masterpiece?!" I asked in astonishment, "How could that dark and knotted stitching be a beautiful masterpiece?"

He said, "My child, you only see one side, but the side that I am working on, the side that you do not see, is very beautiful to behold!"

I cautiously asked, "Well then, do you think that I may see the side on which you are working on?"

He answered, "Not yet, for your life is just begun, you cannot see this masterpiece until it is finished. I cannot show it to you until you have come to live with me. When I come back to earth and take you and everyone else who follows me, home, then I can show you what it looks like."

When I look at the stitching of my life, I don't see very many colorful spots, oh sure there are some, but when I see it, it seems that the darkness is more than the color. I mentioned this to Jesus, and He smiled and told me, "Remember, when you see this someday, you will have no regrets as to how it is made."

Sometimes I still don't always understand why I am faced with certain darkness in my life, but I have to remember Who holds the stitches of my life. And I have to remember that when I see the finished product, that I wouldn't change a single stitch of my life, for, without that stitch, the piece wouldn't be the same. And sometimes even though I don't understand, the dark pieces, adds volumes to the masterpiece, it makes the color pop out even more.

Someday I will be able to see the finished masterpiece of my life, but for now I am content to trust Him with the stitches of my life. But you too have a masterpiece that God is working on, and it may seem like a lot of tangled dark knots, but when He turns the masterpiece (your life) around, you wouldn't want to change a thing!

Sometimes I think that Jesus should use a different color or different shade, but He tells me that He knows what He is doing. You too might feel like that sometimes, like He has thrown to many obstacles in your life, I know, that is how I feel sometimes. But all we have to do is to trust Him with the stitches of our life.

I want to trust the stitches of my life with Him, don't you?

Facing the Unknown...

I can remember a few times in my life when I have been unsure of what was going to happen. And when you come into these challenges, it becomes a test of faith. Are you going to trust or are you going to worry? I can remember one time when I broke down and cried, I wasn't sure what God wanted me to do. But my mother was a big help to me and we repeated Bible verses and promises. And soon I was the one encouraging her again.

I can remember praying to God, and asking Him to give me peace and understanding, and He flooded me with a peace that passes all understanding. And then I knew that everything was going to be all right!

But what do you do when you are facing the unknown? What should you do? How should you react? And most important, how do you keep from worrying about the problem? Well let us look at one question at a time...

First, what do you do when you are facing the unknown. Your first reaction might be to cry and even to doubt God. And you may even second guess yourself, if you are doing the right thing or not.

Well then, what should you do? Well, when I was faced with a problem my mother and I quoted Bible verses and promises to each other. It is a good idea to memorize Bible verses, another thing you should do is pray! Prayer always calms me down, and keeps me at peace.


How should you react? I covered this a little bit, but the first reaction is what matters, it determines your strength or your weakness. And it also shows that if you do have a melt down that you need to rely more upon God. This is a good thing, God doesn't want you to come to the place where you don't rely on Him.

How do we keep from worrying? I mean just thinking about what may be up ahead is a pretty scaring thought. No one knows what the future holds, except for God and He has it all under control. The best thing to do is to remind yourself that He is in control, and He loves you! And when you feel like you are starting to have second thoughts or doubts is to go to God and pray and read your Bible. Just take one day at a time, and leave tomorrow to itself.

Sometimes it is hard to face the unknown and not know what to do, but we have a Savior that is here to take away all our fears. We don't have to face the unknown by ourselves!

I want to trust in God and face the unknown with Him, don't you?

The Last Week...

This morning when I was doing something or other, the thought came to me, "I wonder what it must have been like for Jesus knowing it was His final week on Earth?" The thought really struck me as interesting. So today we will try and see what it must have felt like.

During that last week He tried telling His disciples what was going to happen, but during their final week with Him they were arguing about who was the greatest! That final week He had ridden on the donkey and had cried over Jerusalem, that last week He said that the temple was no longer His Father's dwelling place.

Yes this was a very interesting week indeed, but the week is not over. During that last week He also had Passover with His disciples in the Upper Room, and during His last night on this Earth, He washed His disciples feet.

Then slowly He and His disciple made it to the garden of Gethsemane, He asked them to pray for Him. Oh if only they had known that this would be His final night, then would they or might have prayed for Him! But, alas, they all fell asleep. But Jesus determined to stay strong and to die, so that I, yes even I, might be saved!

Then the soldiers came in those last few hours, and stripped and beat and spit upon Him. Mocking Him as if He were a common man. They pushed the crown of thorns deep into His head, but He opened not His mouth. Yes during those last few hours on Earth, He suffered for you and me. And then they hung Him on a crude cross and nailed His hands and feet.

He thinking that His Father had abandoned Him, He felt so sad and so alone! Yes, even during those last few moments, minutes and seconds. But He didn't give up or give in! And then He gave His last breathed His last.

Yes I wonder what it must have felt like to know that this will be your last, your last of everything you have ever known. Praise God though that, that story didn't just stop there. We know that He rose again and is now interceding for you and yes for me, even me!

We will not suffer that much agony, but we will go through difficult times, but we must not forget that even through the darkest trials God is right there by our side. God never left Jesus' side, in fact He came down and stood right by His Son's cross, with thousand upon thousand's of angels. When we think that God has left us to die on our own, He is simply carrying us through the most difficult storm!

I want to trust God no matter what, don't you?

Two Different Paths...

I often picture this in my mind...this story, something that is reality...I walk on a road that seems to keep on going, but then I come to a fork in the road, one going right and the other going left. There is no other choice I have to make a decision, and it seems I don't have much time in which to make it.

The path going left seems bright and cheerful and sun is seems to be always shining there, the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing a song. It seems to me that the path is big enough to travel and the road smooth enough for my tired feet and yet it seems to be going downward and I can't tell what is up ahead.

But then I look to the right, this path is narrow and looks a little bit rocky. It ascends upward and it looks so scary, it seems as if a storm is coming and I can hear thunder in the distance. The trees seem to be barren and I hear no birds singing there. Yet yet for some reason a voice seems to be telling me to walk on this road.

And so hesitantly I walk toward the right and my journey continues on, sometimes rain falls on my pathway and I can't tell what is up ahead because of the fog. And sometimes I slip downwards, only to get up and walk the same road again. On and on it seems it goes up and I wonder if this is the right road.

I come to the point of the road where there is an overlook and I can see down to the place where I first made my choice, but there is something more that meets my eye, I can see further down that broad path. And what I see makes me glad of the path that I have chosen, for I see that it continues down into a steep and dark place, and there comes from it all sorts of noises that hurt my ears and my eyes.

I then hear a voice saying, "I died for them as well." I then cry out to that Someone and plead with Him that I may go back and tell others of the danger that is in store for them. I can see that my family is about to get to the fork in the road. So I plead and ask, can I go and tell what is waiting for them on the paths ahead?

The voice tells me that I may go but He also tells me what I may expect up ahead. He said that not everyone will listen, some will ridicule and laugh, some will start the narrow way but then again turn back. Others will choice to go on the narrow way and they will bring others to follow along. He also told me of what was ahead on the path that I had chosen and He told me to tell others what they may expect.

He said tell them that I have mansions waiting for them in which I have built, and there's room enough for everyone. I have a banquet set out before them and the table stretches out for miles long. I have robes of white in which to clothe them and crowns to place upon their heads. I have harps too I wish to give to them, all this and more is waiting for them. But also warn them that they don't have time in which to decide, but the choice is theirs and it is up to them to make.

So I hurried down the pathway until I came back where I started, I got there just in time to tell my family what was in store, some laughed at me and went down the broad way and I realized that some who have gone will never come again, but some who have gone have come back again. So I continue to pray for those who are down that broad and downward path.

But others have rejoiced and have gone up the narrow way, but I also realize the danger that is in store for them that way, they may say the way is to hard and come down again. But others they will continue on the upward way.

I am still on this pathway today, for my Jesus has said that He will come back for me someday. I am on this road trying to warn others of the danger that lies ahead, and I am praying that they soon will realize the danger that lies ahead. There will be trouble on both paths, but I must say that the troubles you face on the narrow one only last for this life time, and the reward that you will get in the end will be enough so that you don't even mind the troubles you passed through. But on the other path, the broad one, you will pay in this life and will never get to enjoy the reward to come.

But do not come for the rewards, there is a far better reason to come, you see my Jesus and your Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life so that we can be together forever. But the choice is yours, and you don't have much time to make it. Yes there is two different paths, and I must ask...

Which one will you choose?

I Will Go...

There was a famine in the land, so bad that this family wanted and did move to a heathen land. So they packed their little family up and traveled to the city of Moab. But tragedy was to follow them there as well. The husband and father of the family died.

The boys soon grew to be men and took wife's of their own, but tragedy was still at the door of this family. The men too died, leaving the women to fend for themselves. Naomi was the mother of the boys, now here she was in a heathen land with now husband and no sons to take care of her in her old age. What was she supposed to do now?

The decision was made, she gathered her two daughter in law's around her and told them that she had decided to go back to Bethlehem. She told the two women that they too should go back to their families, for they were young and pretty and could find good husbands yet.

The day finally came when Naomi must go, she looked at her two daughter in law's for what she thought would be the last time. The first daughter in law hugged Naomi, crying but she went on her way, back to her family and back to her heathen ways.

Naomi turned to her second daughter in law, Ruth, and low and behold what did she find but that she had her stuff with her! Ruth pleaded with Naomi saying, "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."

Naomi was so pleased, now she had a companion to walk the long journey with her, and not only that but Ruth wanted to leave her family and her gods for Naomi's God! It must have filled her heart with joy! Ruth was willing to go and to leave all she new and loved the most.

But the question today is are we willing to go and to do what the Lord ask of us? Are we willing to leave our friends and family and all we love and hold dear? Are we willing to say, "I will go?"

There are so many examples in the Bible of those who said that they would go, Ruth is one among many. I know that I have followed their example and I have said to the Lord, "I will go!"

So my question to you is, will you say with me, "I will go?" Even if it means to leave all you know and love? Ruth did and so will I soon...

I will go, but how about you?

Waiting...

It seems to me that I must always have to wait. I have to wait until Thursday to go on our trip. I have to wait until October to get my passport and my diploma. Wait and wait and wait...it seems that all I am doing is waiting!

I thought about this, what does the Lord want to teach me through this whole experience. The most obvious is patience, but is there something more in which He is trying to get me to learn. Maybe to put more trust in Him, well yes that is another thing, but there must be something more, something deeper.

Through the waiting experience I can learn that I can trust my Lord through any circumstances and that the Lord's timing is always perfect and He set things up the way they are for a purpose. I can also see that the Lord is teaching me to wait upon Him.

What I mean by that is this, Jesus promised His disciples to come again and He told them to watch and to wait. And then more than 2,000 years later, we are still waiting. Why do we have to continue to wait? Why can't we just have it all happen at once? Why can't we just go at this at a fast pace?

We continue to wait for Jesus soon coming because we are not ready for Him to come again. Others are not prepared for Him, people who need to know that He is coming again! God knows all and He has things orchestrated in such a way that His timing is always right on time!

We human beings want things fast now a days, we want things in high speed, and we want them to be now. It is because of the society in which we live, the fast lane is now becoming yesterday's slow lane. But through all of this, God calls us to wait. Yes to wait upon Him, to learn patience, and to trust and lean on Him.

I want to learn the patience of waiting, don't you?