The Green Quilt

I finished my green quilt this week.  My quilts take a long time to make, mostly because the quilter (that would be me) is slow and she takes forever to finish a project.

This quilt was special, though.  

A few years ago, our house caught fire and many of my sewing projects were destroyed in the fire.  This was probably a blessing in disguise, because I couldn't possibly finish all of them before I die.  But, there was one project in particular I was sick to lose.  My green quilt.  It was my prized project, full of fabrics in my favorite hues of greens and blues.  I envisioned how beautiful it would look when it was finished.  I'd personally never seen a quilt like it, and I couldn't wait to finish it.  

A few months ago, I finally had the courage to go through a few boxes in my storage room.  After divorce, its difficult to go through old things.  My storage room is full of old photos and memories, so I tend to avoid it because it can throw me back into some serious sadness.  But, on this particular day, I felt strong enough to go through a few things.

In the bottom of a Rubbermaid container, there it was.  My green quilt!  I thought it had been destroyed in the fire.  I was so delighted!  I called out to my daughter, and showed her what I'd found.  She was surprised, too, and excited for me since she remembered all of the hours I'd put into this quilt.

It was only about half finished.  So, I immediately brought it upstairs into my sewing room.  I found the pattern with it, and within a few days, I was fervently working to complete it.

This weekend, I finally finished it.

I still can't believe it was in my storage room the entire time.

You know, God is in the business of restoring what once was lost.  He promises not to just repay, but to work wonders for us.  Look at these verses full of promise:

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—

    the great locust and the young locust,

    the other locusts and the locust swarm[a]—

my great army that I sent among you.

 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,

    and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,

    who has worked wonders for you;

never again will my people be shamed." Joel 2:25-26

He doesn't promise to give us back exactly what was lost, instead He promises to repay us by working wonders.  

I've seen this at work in my own life.  I recall the heartache of a miscarriage and the likelihood that we would never be able to have children.  After I lost one child, I gained two beautiful children who were sitting in an orphanage in Russia, waiting for us to take them home.

I spent ten years out of touch with my youngest brother.  After a terrible motorcycle accident (which he's healed from), he now lives less than an hour from me, and our relationship has been restored after ten years of absence.

After my divorce, my mind could not come out from underneath the depth of depression and anxiety.  However, two years later, my mind has come a long way towards healing and I am fully able to work again.  In fact, I'm in a job now that's better than any job I've ever had.

God really does work wonders to repay what was once lost.  I don't know why it was important to Him to save my quilt.  Its a little thing, but it was really special to me.  

I truly delight in the ways He surprises me, when I least expect it.