Beautiful Material…handstitched….but created from scraps……
Gorgeous Pottery…handmade… yet crafted from dirt……
This material, well really sort of a quilt, caught my eye in the store because of the uneven stitches, patches sewn in randomly, seams that weren’t straight, and color combinations that were not typical. BUT, all these imperfections were exactly what endeared me to this work of art.
The same was true of the pottery. It’s lines were not straight, no colors were the same, similar bowls were still not standardized in size, but yet they were not random either….They were made purposefully by the creator to stand alone in their beauty…not fit in.
Every time I see work like this, it almost takes my breath away. Inspiration kicks in, and I find myself in awe of how repurposing can breathe life into something that seems like it should be thrown away.
How can old material and dirt become treasures?
It takes me a few minutes each time I see something like this to pinpoint why they invite wonder and reverence in my heart (and honestly a few goosebumps). But then God gently reminds me:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
And
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
This material and pottery are perfect metaphors for our own lives.
We are not throwaways either. He has made us new…just when we might think we are scraps, God reminds us that He has plans to make us beautiful too…and at just the right time.
We may not have all the answers now, but we can hold on to knowing that if scraps of material can turn into beautiful quilts, and handfuls of dirt can become gorgeous pieces of art, surely God has way more in store for making us beautiful creations as well.
So as you snuggle up with a handmade quilt or fill up a pottery mug with coffee, I’d love for you to join me in holding on in faith that we are never throwaways….just raw materials ready for the Master Artist to reveal our beauty in His time!
