Reflection

Devotion for the Week...

One day last week we went out of town for the day and drove back home after dark. It was a beautiful, clear night and we drove for hours in the dark, mostly with nothing but trees on either side of the road.

The moon was two days past full, huge in the sky and incredibly bright. Hills far off in the distance, that would normally be hidden by the darkness, were clearly outlined against the brightness in the sky. The moonlight illuminated clearings and made trees cast shadows across frozen ponds.

As we drove I couldn't help but be amazed at the fact that the moon produces no light. There we were, driving through a night much brighter than normal, with the moon glowing in the sky, and yet the moon cannot produce light at all.

All that light? It was actually coming from the sun.

Obviously, I knew this already, just like you do. But as I looked at the shadows cast by the trees, it seemed amazing that all the moon can do is reflect the light from another source. And that made me think of us.

Jesus said, "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).

You are the light of the world. How is that possible? How can we possibly be the light of the world when we are simply human, the same as all the people around us?

The answer lies in something else Jesus said. "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (John 8:12).

Jesus is the light of the world. It is His light that illuminates the darkness.

We are like the moon. We can't produce light on our own, but we can reflect the light that comes from another source, and so we reflect the light of Jesus into the world around us.

This is no small thing! Jesus is not here, physically, to shine light into this dark world of sin, but because we can reflect His light, there is light in the darkness.  When surrounded by darkness, light draws attention.

In the same way, when surrounded by sin, Christians draw attention. Our task then is to make it plain that the light doesn't come from us. When we point others towards Jesus, the source of our light, then we make it possible for them to move out of darkness too.

And the more of us reflecting His light, the brighter the light will be in the world.

Scraps Squared in Make Modern

Edited March 9, 2018 - This pattern is now available for individual sale through my Payhip and Etsy shops. To celebrate the pattern release, get it for 25% off until March 20th.

I love the days when I get to share secret sewing projects! My Scraps Squared quilt is in the latest issue of Make Modern magazine (issue 20), which is now available 😊

I had been making scrappy, colour coordinated 4 patch blocks for years as my leaders and enders project. I have a few hundred of them, but I wasn't quite sure what to do with them, lol. So, as part of the 30 Quilt Designs challenge in early 2017, I designed a quilt around those 4 patch blocks.

I have always loved bright colours against solid black, but the design seemed like it needed a little something more, so I added some medium grey and changed those blocks to feature 2 1/2" squares (I've been cutting those from my scraps for a while, so I have a nice collection of them, too).

With my 4 patches already made and the 2 1/2" squares already cut, the quilt top came together really quickly. If you want to make this one, and you're not in a hurry, I'd definitely recommend making the 4 patches as leaders and enders. It makes sewing all of them feel painless and then the rest of the top is a breeze.

I had a little hiccup with the quilting design I chose, which you can read about here. I ended up loving this square meander, though, so it all worked well in the end 😊 I also mused about quilting this quilt in this post about imperfections.

I quilted the black with Aurifil 2692 and the  grey with 2610. All while I was quilting the background, I debated what to do with the 4 patches and 2 1/2" squares. I was inclined to leave them unquilted, but I wasn't sure. I polled IG and FB, where the vote was evenly split between quilting them and leaving them as they were, so I took the easy way out and left them. I really do love how they pop against the heavily quilted background!

The backing is a gorgeous Northcott print, from their Sandscapes line. Seriously, I wish I had this is every colour available!

Issue 20 of Make Modern is available now. Click here to get your copy 😊 Use the coupon code MM20for6 to get the issue for $6 AUD (the coupon code is good until January 7th).

If you make Scraps Squared, I'd love to see it, so be sure to tag me on IG (@devotedquilter) or on FB (@devotedquilterdesigns).

I still have hundreds of 4 patch blocks, and I'm curious to see how different this design would look with a different background, so I'm considering making another version soon. I just have to decide what colours to use for the background, lol. I've thought about white and a light grey, two shades of blue, two shades of green, grey and teal...I just can't make up my mind! What background colours would you suggest I try?

I have two more quilts scheduled to be in Make Modern in 2018, and both of them are designs from the same 30 Quilt Designs challenge. There are several more I want to make from that challenge, and some still from the first challenge in 2016 too. I know one thing for sure - I'm never going to be bored!


**Note - this post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click the link and then make a purchase I may receive a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay.

Monuments

Devotion for the Week...

Happy New Year!

This time of year certainly encourages looking back, doesn't it? Not only is the year coming to a close, but also the decorations and traditions of the Christmas season evoke remembrances of years gone by.

I find it happens especially when we decorate our Christmas tree. Since I make special ornaments for the boys each year (see this year's ornaments here), there are a lot of weird things on our tree. Nathan especially, will ask things like, "Why did Zach get a spider ornament?" Because he was really into insects that year. "Why is my first ornament a worm in an apple?" Because you were the squirmiest worm of a baby I have ever seen. And, "Why does Aiden have a black ship?" Because he was fascinated by pirates that year.

It's fun to look back and remember what the boys were like when they were smaller. The ornaments serve as monuments, to help keep those memories in our minds so we don't forget the things they were so fascinated by. I love that every year, as we decorate the tree, we go over the reason for each of the ornaments again.

Did you know God gave the Isrealites instructions for building a monument to help them remember something? It's recorded in Joshua, chapter 4. The Isrealites were entering the Promised Land and the first thing they had to do was cross the Jordan river. God told Joshua to send the priests into the river first, carrying the ark of the covenant, and when the priests were in the river, God stopped the flow of water so the whole nation could walk across on dry ground.

"When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 'Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.'" (Joshua 4:1-3).

Why?

"In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever" (vv 6,7).

God knew that they would need reminders of the things He had done for them so He encouraged the Isrealites to make one, a very obvious and hard to miss physical reminder. It was one that would make people ask questions, giving the Isrealites a chance to tell the story again, which would serve both to let others know what had happened and to remind those who had been there.

Our memories aren't any better than those of the Isrealites. As time passes, it's not unusual for us to forget what God has done for us. Even the things that were spectacular when they happened can slip our minds at times.

It's a great idea, then, to make ourselves physical reminders of what He has done for us. While we probably aren't going to pile up big boulders on our front lawns, there are lots of ways we can link an object to memories.

Some ideas include a piece of jewelry with a special stone or symbol; a piece of wall art featuring a favourite Bible verse; a photograph of a place or a person; a quilt, a tattoo, a special plate or a specific recipe, a stuffed animal...the list could go on and on.

Whatever will make you think of what God has done for you in the past will work. It's even better if it will also sometimes cause other people to ask "Does this have special meaning?"

God has done so much for us. Monuments help us remember.