"I can use that!"

I am in awe of Quilters—the Capital Q type—who turn fabric into art. I tried to Quilt (capital Q) but my mismatched corners caused weeping and gnashing of teeth. Simple patchwork quilts are my style! I’ve created hundreds, mostly baby quilts, from discarded fabric. I have a saying, “I could use that,” when folks offer me their sewing scraps. And when I finish off a quilt by tying the patchwork corners with yarn, then sewing a self-binding, I often think of a spiritual lesson.

It’s this: God is the greatest quilter and binder-upper! I draw this from Isaiah 61, where Isaiah had prophesied of Messiah who would minister to the broken and hurting. Fresh off the proving grounds of His desert temptations, Christ read that passage in His local synagogue, then declared, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

I’m especially drawn to the second part of Isaiah 61:2: “He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted.” When only scraps are left of our lives, we may feel useless to God. We might think He can do nothing with the strips and odd pieces left after hardship or bad choices mess up our lives. But remember, Christ is the Redeemer. He knows how to redeem those scraps to a useful purpose. It requires some trimming…of certain habits, defeatist attitudes, worry, bitterness, laziness or other negative aspects of our character. But every swift cut is part of how He “fits” us into His greater plan.

In His wisdom, the dark pieces are just as useful as the bright ones, the plain ones as the ornate ones. I’ve watched people turn their greatest pain from bad relationships or difficult circumstances into something positive to help others in the spiritual journey. He can even “bind up” the hidden parts of our lives—I’m thinking of the quilt batting inside, which sometimes I also piece--turning heartache into the soft trait of gentleness.

After cutting fabric scraps into five-inch squares, I begin joining them, row upon row. I try to make sure dark colors are distributed throughout the quilt, not in one place. Christians are not exempt from dark times, but unlike non-believers, we have a Father who knows how much we can handle. Psalm 30:5 says: “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” That’s the favorite verse of a friend who suffers daily with severe post-polio pain, but who seeks the joy in every day.

Thus it’s appropriate that the baby quilts I sewed this past year from bits and pieces, for the hospital to give those in need (see July 6 blog on birthday blankets), be “patchwork.” When the Lord sees a life reduced to scraps, He says, “I can use that!” When He binds up the brokenhearted, He creates a masterpiece.