A Needle Pulling Thread

At around the age of seven or eight my mother decided it was time to teach me a skill "every woman should know" (as she defines it): How to adequately maneuver a sewing machine. Now after a good decade, I have proven to be of no note-worthy status, but doesn't mean I don't enjoy it!

Due to a broken sewing machine I have had the opportunity to renew my skills with nothing but a needle and thread! If you haven't been able to tell already, the most random activities always seem to jump out and plead for me to turn into a message, so 'ere we go!

PRECISION

 


Bill Frymire

"But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."- Matthew 7:14



The task illustrated above isn't always so simple. A slight quiver of the hand, tangling of the strings, loss of focus, and you're back where you started. Even the most deft craftsman misses the neede's eye from time to time.  As written in Matthew, it's a "narrow" path; we waver, lose our vision, and fall short even when our intentions to succeed are genuine. Then what becomes of our response? Frustration. Fatique. Defeat. It's there that we must encourage ourselves that patience ought to always be practiced.

PATIENCE

 


Wendi D

“Be still, and know that I am God..."- Psalm 46:10

  There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, "nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." So what purpose does haste serve? A desire for haste will only either lead to sloppiness or disappointment (or both!). When we have our own personal agendas it takes away from the will of the Father who is the only One that can bring about products of perfection. So don't hesitate to take a moment to put down your work so that you can be still and know that God's timing is in control.  

PAIN

  


withacanon

"...Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh...I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”...That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."- 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

   How can we expect to accomplish anything without a bit of pain? As described in the previous verse, sometimes God allows pain to enter into our lives for the exact purpose of strengthening ourselves. It is through infliction that we learn humility, compassion, and develop a fervency to pursue Him alone.

And ironically enough, just as we control the needle in our hands so often we can be our worst enemy. There truly is nothing in this world that can come against us, but that security isn't enforced unless claim authority over it. So what do we do? Bring out that thimble--the protective armor that equips us for battle. The Lord has provided us with tools to guard ourselves, so let us not allow them to be given in vain!

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This is what I decided to make using leftover material from alterations of my prom dress! Finished about an hour before I left for prom and worked out beautifully!