What About Them?

Devotion for the Week...

Because I look after children, I often find myself saying "Don't worry about what they're doing, you just worry about you." Usually, this is because Child A is concerned because Child B is doing something they're not supposed to do, never mind that Child A was just disobeying that same rule a moment ago. Or maybe it's because I just asked the kids to do something and one didn't do it immediately, so another quickly points that out, which of course means that they're not doing what I asked either.

Even as adults, though, we tend to focus on other people and whether or not they are doing what is expected of them. Sometimes we are so focused on what other people are doing, compared to what we think they should be doing, that we forget that we should be paying much closer attention to what we are supposed to be doing.

There are also times when we are very concerned that other people are being asked to do things that are comparable to what we've been asked to do, not necessarily because we want them to be doing the same things, but because we want the work load or expectations to be spread out fairly. I see this in my own kids sometimes, when I ask them to set the table or some other chore and they ask if they should call out to their brothers to get them to come help too.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He spoke with Peter about the future. Jesus said to him, "'Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.' Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, 'Follow me!'" (John 21:18,19). So, Peter is being given a glimpse of something hard that he will have to deal with in the future. What does he immediately do?

"Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them...When Peter saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?'" (v. 20,21).

Interesting, isn't it? Immediately after being told something that he will deal with in the future, Peter turned, looked at someone else, and asked, "Well, what will he be asked to deal with?" It's almost like you can see the balance scales in Peter's mind, making sure the demands on him wouldn't be more than the demands on someone else.

And Jesus' response? "'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me'" (v. 22). Essentially, He said, "Don't worry about him. You just worry about you."

When things are going wrong in our lives, we sometimes look at other people who seem to have everything going their way and we ask, "Why aren't they dealing with anything like this? Why is everything so perfect for them?" The answer is...don't worry about them. We don't know what God has asked them to deal with in the past, or what they're dealing with now, or what God will ask them to deal with in the future.

I love that Jesus asked Peter, "What is that to you?" What concern is it of ours what God wills for another person?  I certainly don't mean that we should ignore other people and the problems they may be facing, but we can't concern ourselves with it in the context of keeping score. 


I also like that Jesus told Peter, "You must follow me." Really, that's all any of us need to worry about. Are we following Him as best we can, regardless of what others are doing?

Don't worry about what anyone else is called to do. You just worry about you.

30 Days of Quilt Design Challenge - Finished

Rachel, at Stitched in Color, and Gotham Quilts have been hosting the 30 Days of Quilt Design Challenge on Instagram, with the idea being participants would spend 30 days working on quilt designs between the beginning of August and the end of October. I finished the challenge a couple of days ago, and my to-make list has grown much, much longer over the past couple of months! In fact, I've started making one design, ordered fabric for another and had a third accepted by a magazine! More on all of those in the days to come :)

I shared my favourites of my first 14 designs here, so now I'll share some of my favourite designs from the second half.

This one came about after Nathan was following video instructions to draw a robot made of squares while I was washing dishes. It sounded fun, so when the dishes were done, I sat at my computer and used basic shapes to create my own robot. I think he'd be a cute first-applique project for a child, or he'd make a cute baby quilt.

I really love this design. I'm not sure what I like best, those tiny little churn dashes or the asymmetrical layout. Regardless, this one is definitely in my plans for someday.

I'm calling this one Refract. I had fun creating this unusual layout with just two blocks.

This design was inspired by a QDAD prompt. I'm not quite sure it would be possible to assemble it exactly as I've drawn it, but I might just have to figure it out one of these days.

And just look at all the negative space in this one! I could have a lot of fun with flow quilting all over a quilt like this :)

The challenge was a lot of fun, and designing so often really helped the get the ideas flowing. It was also great to see the incredible designs others were sharing at #30DaysofQuiltDesignChallenge.

Now to get some of these designs made into quilts!

Mutually Encouraged

Devotion for the Week...

I have been quilting for almost 20 years. Most of that time I've been quilting by myself, with maybe one acquaintance who also quilted. Other times I've known a couple of people who wanted to learn, so I taught them and we sewed together for a while. Then I started my blog and suddenly I had an abundance of sewing friends all over the world. They were sharing amazing pictures of the things they were working on, which made me want to try new techniques, new colour combinations, new patterns and new fabrics. I was already passionate about quilting, but the more exposure I had to what other quilters were doing, the more my love of quilting grew.

It has been great to expand to Instagram and join in with events like the Friday Night Sew Along, or Saturday Night Craft a Long, or the 30 Day Quilt Design Challenge. It's so wonderful to be working on something at the same time other people are working on their own projects, even if we're only sharing our progress as pictures on our phones. The connection is still there as we comment on each other's work and cheer each other on.

When I read Romans 1 a few weeks ago, I was struck by this, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith" (Romans 1:11,12). Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome, telling them that he hoped to soon be able to come visit them, in part so he could teach them something that would make their faith stronger, but also so they could mutually encourage each other.

Just like quilters! I wonder how often anyone has ever said the apostle Paul is just like a quilter? But it's true. Just as I love sewing with friends (online or in person), Paul liked to spend time with other Christians because he found the time together to be encouraging to his faith.

You may wonder how this is true, since Paul was the teacher and founder of churches. He already had such a firm grasp on faith and the importance of the gospel. How could the average person encourage him and increase his faith?

Well, a couple of times recently I have heard or read of quilting teachers saying that they love teaching workshops to guilds or other groups because there's so much love for quilting in those sessions. They said they love the energy of the quilters sharing their love for this craft. They love how the (mostly) women share their favourite colour combinations, or share little tips and tricks that make the work faster or easier. Even though they are the teachers for that session, their own love of quilting is built up because of the time spent with other quilters.

Those teachers know so much about quilting, and in some cases they know much more than the people they're teaching. But it's not always a matter of who has the most knowledge or experience. Enthusiasm is contagious, so the more enthusiastic a quilter is, the more enthusiastic others around them can become. And you don't have to be an experienced quilter to be combining colours in new and interesting ways, so your eye for colour can awaken a more experienced quilter to a combination they've never considered before.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. Enthusiasm is contagious, and sometimes it's the older, more experienced Christians who need to spend time with newer Christians to catch sight of that enthusiasm again. 

We all see the world differently too, which means that we all see our faith differently. Most people probably don't associate their faith with quilting, but my mind often puts the two together. I also see a lot of connections between the bible and looking after small children, probably because I've spent the past 14 years in the company of toddlers and preschoolers. You likely make other connections when you read certain passages of Scripture, based on your interests and experiences.

That's why being around other Christians is so important. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24,25).

Of course, sometimes 'meeting together' happens in person and sometimes it happens online or through books. There are several devotions I enjoy reading, including (in)courage and Our Daily Bread. I also enjoy books by Charles Swindoll, Mark Buchanan, Ravi Zacharias, Philip Yancey and many others. All of them have experienced life differently than I have and so they have different insights to share.

And if you feel you don't have much to offer to encourage others? I don't think that's the case at all! I know that several of you have encouraged me through your comments left here on these devotions, sharing your own stories about how faith has helped you through tough times. We can encourage each other simply by sharing our stories of faith.