It's the Finishing that Really Matters

Devotion for the Week...

I try to finish all the quilts I start. Really, I do. Even with the best of intentions, though, I have a growing pile of UFOs (UnFinished Objects). The thing about those UFOs is that they're really doing me no good at all. I can't gift them to anyone, or use them as decorations, or cuddle up under them with a book.

This is true of so many things, isn't it? So many people set out to write books or lose weight or train for a marathon and never meet their goals. Those UFOs aren't doing anyone any good either. It's exciting to start something new. There's so much promise and so much potential in a new beginning, but it's the finishing that really matters.

Jesus came to earth with a mission - to save mankind from their sins and restore our relationship with God. The start of that mission (Christmas) gets a lot of attention, which is understandable. Newborn babies and presents are fun and exciting, certainly more so than the torture and death that are the main elements of the Easter story. And yet, if it's the finishing that really matters, then Easter deserves the greater attention.

I will be the first to admit that I don't really understand how Jesus could have been both fully man and fully God, but I believe there was always the possibility that Jesus wouldn't complete the mission. As I see it, there were two weak points, where Jesus' humanity could have caused Him to turn away from God's plan.

First of all, He was fully man, which means He could have given in to the temptation to sin. You can read in Matthew 4:1-11 how Jesus was tempted by Satan at the start of His ministry, but I don't think those were the only attempts Satan made. He knew who Jesus was and I doubt he would have given up so easily. Those may have been the most blatant attempts he made, but I would imagine Satan tempted Jesus with common sins like anger and lust and idolatry just as often as he tempts us, maybe even more. In Hebrews we read, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He was tempted in every way, just as we are, but Jesus never gave in! If He had, even if He had sinned only once, there would have been no perfect sacrifice to make atonement for all of us who are so far from perfect. He finished His 33 years of living on earth without giving in to the temptation to sin.

Second, since He was fully man, He had a body just like ours. Undoubtedly He fell as a child and scraped His knees, or hit His thumb with a hammer while learning carpentry from Joseph. He knew what pain was. He also knew what was coming. In Luke 9:22 Jesus told His disciples, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." The disciples didn't understand, of course, but Jesus knew. Just think for a moment how you would feel if you knew that in a couple of days you would be handed over to corrupt authorities who would beat you, whip you and kill you. Think about the pain you would feel as that whip landed on your back. Wouldn't you run from that pain? Wouldn't you try to get as far away as you could, to hide in a place where they would never find you? I know I would. But Jesus didn't. In fact, "Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem" (v. 51). I like the word resolutely. It means He didn't head for Jerusalem lightly, but He also didn't go against His will. He knew what was coming, and He chose to go anyway. He went to Jerusalem on purpose.

Not that He didn't check in with God to see if it was possible to avoid all that pain. He did ask, after all. Shortly before He was arrested, Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me" (Matthew 26:39). Essentially, He was asking, 'Can we do this some other way?' Now, I don't know why it had to be done the way it was. I don't know why there had to be beating and excruciating pain. I understand that He had to die to pay the price for our sins, but I don't know why it couldn't have been a quick and painless death. But whatever the reason, it was not possible for that cup to be taken from Him and, in the end, Jesus chose to continue with the plan. The full verse reads, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (v. 39).

Through it all, He endured. Though the pain must have been intense, He never wavered in His dedication to God's plan. And when He cried out on the cross, "It is finished," (John 19:30), it was a cry of victory, a celebration of a mission completed.

It was, and is, a finish worth celebrating!

Lights in the Dark

Devotion for the Week...

My parents left this morning after a two week visit. While they were here, Paul and I went away for a weekend. It's a win for everyone - we had a break, the boys had time with just their grandparents and the grandparents had time with just the boys. We left late in the afternoon on Friday, as soon as the little guy I babysit was picked up, and drove 7 hours to our destination, which meant most of the driving was done in the dark.

Driving across Newfoundland means driving through mostly uninhabited land. During daylight hours, it's a beautiful drive full of ponds, brooks, fields and gorgeous ocean views. In the dark, though, it's not quite so interesting. Beyond the scope of the headlights, it's just darkness, darkness and more darkness. There's nothing to see, even when I know there are gorgeous views right beside us. I said at one point, "It's a shame to drive through this section in the dark!"

That night I found that whenever a light appeared in the distance, I immediately turned to see what it was. Most of the time it was just a communication tower with a light on top, but sometimes it was a town in the distance or a spot where I could see a car coming towards us on the road far ahead. Whatever the source, the light drew my attention because it stood out in the darkness.

Jesus said to His disciples, "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).

There is so much to think about in these three verses! First of all, we are the light of the world, because we have Jesus, who said of Himself, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Because He is the light of the world, we have the light of life, and so we are now the light of the world. The lights in the distance grabbed my attention when we were driving in the dark. In the same way, our lives should grab the attention of people living in spiritual darkness.

Unfortunately, most people don't really like standing out. We'd rather be like everyone else and not draw attention to ourselves. That's not God's plan, though. The lights on those communication towers make the towers visible to aircraft flying at night. They wouldn't serve their purpose if they were covered over. God has given us this light to draw attention to us, not because we are so great, but because He is. Because He offers salvation to everyone who believes, and because He wants "everyone to come to repentance," (2 Peter 3:9), His plan is for believers to grab the attention of those who don't yet believe. But we can't do that if we're covering over our light by living the same as everyone else.

Obviously, people in Jesus' day didn't light their lamps and then put them under bowls, for the same reason we don't turn on our lamps and cover them up. But, as believers, we do tend to cover up our spiritual light. When we try to blend in with everyone around us, living as selfishly as the rest of the world, then our light is covered up and we don't attract the attention of others.

God wants our lights to shine bright for others to see. Again, it's not because we are worthy of that attention, but because our light draws attention to Him, the source of our light. When our focus is on serving Him, rather than on serving ourselves, people see that we are different. Some will probably just think we're weird, but some will see that our differences, our light, come from our connection to God, and Jesus said that letting people see our light would cause them to glorify God.

Shining our lights isn't always easy, but isn't bringing glory to God worth it?

Just the Basics Mystery - Introduction and Gather Your Fabrics

Devoted Quilter is three years old today! I have so loved being a part of this online quilting community. It is amazing to me that I now have so many quilting friends, even if I've never actually met most of you! Maybe someday, right?

Starting the Just the Basics mystery quilt-a-long on my blogaversary seemed like a great way to celebrate three years of blogging. I really love the quilt I've made with this pattern, and I am excited to finally start sharing the instructions!

 

Introduction

Running from March to August 2016, the Just the Basics mystery quilt-a-long will require no special rulers and no scary techniques. The design is confident beginner level and there will be no paper piecing, no applique, no improv piecing and no y-seams! Not that there's anything wrong with any of those techniques, but sometimes it's fun to see what you can make out of basic blocks.

I promise, the basics are anything but boring!

Instructions for each part of the mystery will be posted here on my blog, with new instructions posted the first Wednesday of each month. You can follow my blog with Bloglovin, Feedly, or by email so you never miss a post. The links for all three methods are on my sidebar.

I debated what size to make the mystery quilt as the original that I designed finished at approximately 48" x 48". That's a great size for a baby quilt or a wall quilt, but not everyone wants to make baby or wall quilts, right? Then again, not everyone wants to make a big quilt every time, either. So, I decided that I would offer two size options - the 48" x 48" size and a throw size that will finish at approximately 60" x 72". The pieces will be cut the same size for both, the only differences will be that anyone making the throw size will need more fabric and will make more units each month.

I'm looking forward to seeing your quilts come together, so, if you're on Instagram, please share your progress pictures using #JustTheBasicsMysteryQuilt.

Let's get started!

Gather Your Fabrics

The Just the Basics mystery quilt requires 5 fabrics, which I will be calling Fabrics 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. I recommend small to medium scale prints. Most of the finished pieces will be on the smaller side, so a larger print would likely be lost in the piecing. Don't be scared off by the prospect of small pieces, though! We'll be making units larger than needed, then trimming to size to increase our accuracy. I'll have extra tips for trimming accurately as we make each of the units, as well.

To help you with your fabric selection, here is a picture of the fabrics I have used for my quilt.

There are several possible focal points in the design, so I'm very interested in seeing how different fabric selections will affect the look of the finished quilts.

Here's what you need:

For the 48" x 48" baby quilt size

Fabric 1 - 1 3/4 yards (My grey fabric)
Fabric 2 - 1 3/4 yards (My blue fabric)
Fabric 3 - 3/4 yard (My black fabric)
Fabric 4 - 3/8 yard (My orange fabric)
Fabric 5 - 3/4 yard (My red fabric)

For the 60" x 72" throw size

Fabric 1 - 2 3/4 yards (My grey fabric)
Fabric 2 - 2 3/4 yards (My blue fabric)
Fabric 3 - 1 1/8 yards (My black fabric)
Fabric 4 - 1/2 yard (My orange fabric)
Fabric 5 - 1 yard (My red fabric)


Your quilt-a-long homework for this month is pretty simple - decide what size you want to make and gather your fabrics. I can't wait to see what fabrics you choose! Remember to share your fabric pull pictures using #JustTheBasicsMysteryQuilt.

In April, we'll start cutting and sewing units together!