I love to sew!
My grandmother, Nana, introduced me to the craft when I was 12.
My best friend Emme, taught me how to make “sorority” shirts with cut out and underwonder lettering.
I love hand sewing and machine sewing. I love all the accessories with sewing… the endless color spectrum of thread, the different shapes, sizes and functions of the needle.. I especially love buttons! I love being able to create a beautiful something from nothing. I just love all of it! However, one of my favorite thing is that when sewing is done correctly.. Is that the threads and fabric can merge together, become indistinguishable from each other.
One of the most precious people in my life, Pastor Lloyd from Belize, introduced me to this scripture from Colossians 2:2. He described it as being merged into an mesh that can not be separated. It reads, “I want them, you, to be strengthened and knitted, joined together with love.” He talked about the idea of crocheting and how the finish product, you can not tell which thread was the beginning and which one was the end. All threads come together to make a new, whole one unit.
This is me. I fully believe that Justin and I are being knitted together as one. Just as the father knits us together in our mothers womb, I believe that God can still knit and sew! Justin and I got engaged November 19, 2011. It was so b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l and perfect! We went to the Auburn/Samford football game that morning (War Eagle!) and afterwards, we headed down to panama city beach for my mom’s birthday! At that point, I really was not expecting to get engaged. Justin has said over and over that he was just going to do the promise ring and propose when he got back. Even on the way down to the beach, Justin kept saying that I should not be looking at all those hundreds of billboards for jewelry, rings, ect. (Billboards for Christmas I assume!) and… I just came to this place where I was ok with that.
But! He did-complete surprise! Awwww. It was perfect! I can give you the full proposal later.
However come Tuesday-there was nothing but sorrow, grief and mourning for me. Tuesday, Jan 10, I woke up to face my future – this is the day that God had been preparing for me since the beginning of time. When Abba Father was knitting me together in my mothers womb, he designed me to be a foreign missionary. I was heading to the airport to Fort Lauderdale, FL for launch for the worldrace. I literally thought my heart was ripped out of my chest when I gave Justin my ring back. (its beautiful and did not want it to be a distraction/temptation for the nations) …..ahhhh man. It was rough.
So, the whole plane ride, I just cried..and…cried..and cried.. Ughhh. It was awful.
“Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Joy comes in the morning”
But, I made it to Florida and later that night, we were having worship… we were singing the song, “Oh, how he loves us… he is jealous for me..” and… I realized in that moment -how much Jesus loves me.
Sure, I’ve heard it my entire life. I’ve told thousands.
But, I am not sure I ever really, really experienced that in total.
I am not sure I have ever grieved so much just trying to convey to someone else that I love them. When I was at ATL airport, I was crying so hard and I just wanted Justin to know how much I love him. So, fact: you can love someone so much that it hurts or makes you physically sick.
But, I realized that the love I have for Justin is just a small, tiny percentage of how much Jesus loves me.
It completely floored me. Jesus tried so hard to emphasis that he loved me.. That he took on that pain, tears and suffering for me. Jesus was physically hurt….just to try to get his point across that he loved me. Wow.
Of course I have loved people before…parents, best friends, ect. Bu, Justin and I have a completely different love, one that I never experienced… a love that has no boundaries, limitations. It is not defined by conditions or circumstance. It is everlasting. It is the complete 1 Corinthians 13 Love. It is a love that is bounded by God’s love for us. It links two souls together in a complete intertwined mesh.
I am thankful for Tuesday. Otherwise, I may have never known or experienced the true love and affection of Christ. I am so humbled to just serve him. To know that I have that intertwined, intimate connection with the King of Kings! The Holy of Holys! Wow. It is incredible.
So, pray. Pray that I will completely, totally fall in love with Jesus. To sit with him, to talk with him, to adore him, to worship him, to rest in him.
Mmmm. It is so good.
Thank you Jesus that you are the bomb at sewing! Thank you God that you can still knit. Thank for you the way you are knitting Justin and I together despite the distance. More importantly, thank you that you made a way for me to have an even greater relationship with the lover of my soul. Thank you that I can have that intimate, so deep, so beautiful love with Jesus. Thank you God that you destined all hearts and souls to be linked and meshed with yours. Wow. I am just in awe. Thank you Jesus. I agape you!
AAMC(A)
