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Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? Romans 9: 21-24 NIV
Throughout American history quilts have served many different purposes. Today quilts are mainly made for pleasure and as gifts. They are a hobby that many find relaxing and enjoy. If we begin to look back into the history of quilts we find that quilts served many different purposes, least of which may have been as a hobby. On the frontier, they were made to provide warmth and reuse worn clothing. They were used as door and window coverings on cabins. They were made as a memento from home for those that traveled west. They were used until they frayed. They were loved and abused. Many went unfinished...
Scraps and orphan blocks are part of quilting, past and present. As a quilter works on her quilt, scraps of fabric are created, sometimes kept, sometimes tossed. Sometimes they are used for another project, most often not. Many times there are leftover blocks, or a quilt top is left unfinished. These items were made but rejected or went unused. Perhaps they were imperfect, didn't match the rest, or a variety of other reasons...
I look at the worn and tattered quilts, the leftover scraps and rejected orphan blocks and see myself... an imperfect, sinful human being, undeserving of the grace, mercy and blessings of God. But unlike earthly quilters who find it hard to reuse scraps and orphan blocks and toss a tattered quilt, God uses the worn and tattered quilt, the orphan block and the leftover scraps to make his power and sovereignty known by creating the most spectacular quilts, but also the quilts for plain purposes, door coverings and rugs. As Paul describes to us, it's the plain quilts that highlight the spectacular ones. Without those simple quilts, we wouldn't be able to discern what makes the award winning quilt beautiful. God has the sovereign power to choose how he leads our life, the good and the bad. He creates the bad to highlight the good and make his character known to us.
He is the pattern designer and quilter of our lives. I take comfort in knowing that He has a plan for me that will make His glory known. I may never fully understand or know that plan, but I can trust that God has chosen me for a purpose far greater than anything I could imagine. And much more than I deserve.
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