A Covering Stitched in Love by Susan Davidson
Key Verse: "She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed. She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple." Proverbs 31: 21-22 (CSB)
My husband's grandparents were small-town farmers. Their income mainly came from selling cows and through a crop of tobacco each year. According to today's standards, they would have probably been described as inferior. There was no big fine house in a subdivision and no shiny new cars in the driveway. The clothes they wore were often hand-me-downs. His grandmother probably never owned one designer bag her entire lifetime.
Despite not owning lots of worldly goods, they were rich in so many other ways. They exuded such a love for each other, the most mouth-watering food was always on the table, and they lived a life full of the love of Jesus.
I have a small, slightly torn quilt that his grandmother brought to life. It was given to me when I got married and is something I treasure. It serves as an example of what most of the other quilts she owned looked like. All made by hand. Each one stitched with love from pieces of her family's clothes as they were outgrown or a tiny bit was torn and couldn't be repaired. Instead of throwing them away, she put every piece to use to make sure her family was covered in warmth every winter.
Proverbs 31 says, "She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed. She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple". Proverbs 31:21-22 (CSB) and is a verse that often makes me think of Iona.
I admit God has blessed our family with more material goods than Iona's family. I have never quilted, and I tried sewing, but I don't have the patience for it. So store-bought it has mostly been for my family aside from quilts my own mother has made and passed down.
As I pondered on Iona and her quilts, God began to stir a new perspective in my heart. Despite not having stitched together a quilt for my family, I have pieced together a covering just the same.
I have passed one down to my daughter, my only child. I am currently helping craft another for my grandson.
I am crafting pieces of God's Word one at a time. I am layering and piecing them together through life experiences that will someday help keep them warm from the winter cold and dry from the wind and rains of life. Words that have been stitched to their hearts to always trust in our Heavenly Father above.
Of all the things I could have bought and given my daughter, teaching her God's Word will serve as the most precious gift of all. Handbags will come and go with the season. Designer clothes and shoes are cast aside and forgotten about next year. But the Word I have sewed together to clothe her and accessorize her wardrobe will last a lifetime.
Each piece has been pieced together with love and held together by prayer, like the piece when my daughter had trouble making friends and felt discouraged and alone. I stitched in the verse that reads, "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and that Jesus "is that friend that sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24 (KJV)
The piece from Daniel 1:17 reads, "God gave these four Hebrew children knowledge and understanding." A reminder that God will always do the same for her, giving her the knowledge she seeks when she seeks Him first. A word that gave her confidence and quietness when she suffered from anxiety and stress during exams.
She is grown now, but recently she added a piece of her own. She needed a little extra layer to cover her through the winds of uncertainty in this pandemic season of Cov-19. So she added a piece taken from Psalm 91.
God is teaching me that if I am passing down love and Jesus, I am passing down wealth that surpasses it all.
I have spent extra time with my grandson, showering him with love growing up and using every opportunity to teach him God's Word. Adding pieces to a covering that his mother and I are working on together. One day when he is older, it will be passed down too and worn for a lifetime.
Susan Davidson is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She resides in a small town surrounded by mountains in southwest Virginia. She is a devotion writer for her church and small group Bible Study leader. She is also a newbie blogger with the motto, “we are never too old for God to teach us something new.” Her passion is encouraging others in their walk with God by sharing her “handfuls of purpose.” She also enjoys reading on her deck and spending time with her family and West Highland Terrier, Mindy.