Needing Repair
My heart sank as I unfolded the Irish Chain. After twenty-five years of use, the binding was separating. The quilt, a wedding gift from my mother-in-law Priscilla, needed repair. We chose to use her beautiful creation so it is constantly taken on and off our bed. As we fold it for the display rack, the fabric and binding are stressed, which cause the fibers to weaken and break. As I finger the aqua green fabric, I am determined to stitch the torn section back together.
In many ways, the Irish Chain is a reflection of my life. I get pulled by people and circumstances around me. I experience the normal daily friction within the family as we live together. Sometimes a job or interpersonal relationships tug and jostle me one way and then another. After years of being pulled by life, I find that just like my quilt, my soul is in need of attention before it pulls apart.
Restoration to our inner life can be time consuming, and often painful. Once those tiny breaks are discovered, we have a decision. Often, we make the choice to do nothing assuming that everything will work itself out.
However, those damaged areas remain and have the potential of getting worse with the constant use and tugging on the fabric of life. The alternative to doing nothing is repairing the broken threads and stitching the pieces back together. Jesus is with me in the process of repair, seeking to heal those tiny splits before they become catastrophic. Generally, what my soul needs is rest and time to focus on him, his love, and his words. This simple step helps me gain perspective and understanding of the things that cause me to unravel so that I can stop it from happening.
Other times the restoration involves detailed work and mending. God uses people around me to heal the torn spots in my life. They help me pull together the tears in my fabric and hand me the needle and thread for patching. I am grateful for friends who love me during these painful seasons.
As we work at repairing the broken areas, Jesus turns my weakness into his strength. He is always present during the painful process of ripping and restitching. He restores my weak threads by making them stronger with his stitches. Bit by bit I am being changed daily just as he promised in 2 Corinthians 4:16: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Just like my Irish Chain quilt, Jesus helps me draw back the fabric, remove the broken stitches, and then adds his stitches making me stronger than before.