God says keep going…

 

When looking at my quilts or talking to a non-quilter at a show, I often hear, “I don’t have the patience to quilt.” I sometimes think, “How then will you get patience?” But I don’t say it. God tells me how to grow in patience, but most of us don’t like His method.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

What does it mean to be patient? The Bible uses patience, perseverance, endurance, and steadfastness to describe God. He patiently withholds judgment for a time and allows for repentance and salvation He uses this to define people who are reliable, faithful, and true to the end. Jesus was steadfast. 

Trials produce this quality using these English words to describe the ability to trust God no matter the situation. In other words, patience is not about a quality needed to produce a desired result. It is about the quality needed to wait on God for the desired result — and God does not stitch up my quilts.

I’ve given much thought to this idea of needing patience even to create something. Would the word “motivation” be more suitable? And to go deeper, would “love” be better? In the context of raising children, a parent needs patience to keep teaching them. Love desires that they become responsible, well-behaved adults. As for quilt-making, motivation can vary. For me, it is the desire to show the recipient that they are loved. I’m also created in the image of God so creating something useful and hopefully beautiful is part of who I am. Yes, it is often hard work and perseverance must replace procrastination, yet patience isn’t the biggest issue.

Actually, the alternative to patience is: “I want it now” and that statement tells me that I’m not mature — since maturity is often defined as the ability to wait for delayed gratification. Applied to quilting or anything else, it is the attitude of wanting something without having to do anything or without needing to wait for it. Interesting that the NT adds this as an addition to faith and part of my spiritual growth. I noticed that it follows another important word:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5–8)

Self-control means selfish desires under control or selfishness yielded to the Lord, and a careful read shows this is part of becoming more like Jesus and better able to persevere or keep on. A person of faith shows lack of trust in God’s timing by always ‘wanting it now’ instead of being patient with God.

That said, making quilts for me can be a patient-developer only if I’ve lost my original motivation to show God’s love to people. Then it is just another chore on my to-do list. Instead of that happening, perseverance and all that is required in the process helps me realize that if my list is just  ‘more chores’ motivated by duty instead of love.. Even housework or grocery shopping can be done out of love for others. Changing the motivation for why I do them makes a huge difference in my attitude while I do them. 

Impatiently wanting anything ‘done and over with’ is a faith matter too. I am not trusting God when I get upset with not seeing the results of what I have asked Him to do:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Quilt making has helped me keep my eyes on the promise (the finished project) even when it is unseen. I don’t need to have the end result in my hands to keep going, just as I am learning that I don’t need to see the resolution or answer to all my prayers instead of keeping my focus on God’s promises. If anyone tells me they do not have the patience to quilt, maybe this could be an opportunity to ask about motivations for why we do anything?

PRAY: Jesus, patience is a big topic. You are a big God, otherwise I’d never keep going without the desires You grant me to do things, to meet needs and show Your love to others. May You persevere in granting me perseverance and the faith to keep on when the work is a challenge or those around me do not understand the reasons why I do anything You put on my heart to do. 

Pass the soap . . .

After nearly three years of ministry, Jesus knew that His time was near. Soon He would leave this world, but before He did, He wanted His disciples to experience His love in a special way. He also wanted them (and us) to know how to show our love to one another:

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.’” (John 13:12–17)

Some interpret foot-washing as a ritual to be performed as any other rite. However, this story has background. In Jesus’ day, foot travel in sandals resulted in dirty feet. If it was raining, or if the traveler was prone to sweat, those feet could be repulsive. Hospitality was an important part of their culture, so those feet must be washed, but this was done by servants only.

Today, washing feet or having your feet washed is usually a humbling experience. Because of that, many interpret what Jesus did as an example of how to refresh other Christians who have become ‘dusty’ through living in this sinful world.

I’ve had my feet washed literally, which was a blessing. I’ve also had my feet washed symbolically by loving believers who did for me unexpected actions of kindness. One time I’d driven to Bible school on a road coated with about two inches of ice. It was a harrowing experience. When I arrived, I realized I’d left my assignment paper on the kitchen table and it was due that day. I expressed my dismay to one person, not realizing she passed that on to another friend. The second person approached me about an hour later to say she had to drive into town to the bank. Then she asked for my house keys. I still become weepy remembering her kindness and sacrifice as she thoughtfully saved me a ‘late-fee’ cut in my marks by retrieving my essay.

More recently, we were having a stressful week with family illness and a host of other things. A dear Christian friend called and told me that the Lord prompted her to bring supper over for us. She brought stew and bread, butter and a pie. Again, I wept.

Foot washing is not a ritual, even with the symbolic interpretation. It is listening to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and following through with what He says. These are God-whispers, not a to-do list. I’ve tried the list, such as “phone someone every day” or “invite others over two times a month” but that rapidly turns into duty and burdensome, easy to abandon.

Foot washing is meeting obvious needs, but sometimes not so obvious. I had a rhubarb plant in my yard. A new couple came to our church from down east. The Holy Spirit prompted me to take them some rhubarb. I wondered about it at first, for rhubarb is something like bagpipes; you either love it or hate it. But I took a bundle anyway and was met with: “Oh my, we moved here and the first thing I have missed from our home is my rhubarb plant.” Only God can do stuff like that!

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Jesus, sometimes my feet need washing, but many times I notice others who could be blessed with little things or huge responses. Whatever it needed, keep my ears tuned to Your nudges and my heart willing to do whatever You ask, even those things that seem to make no sense to me. I trust You to know the needs of others and to tell me what I should do to wash their feet.

Starvation produces starvation

Photographs of starving children haunt me. The United Nations Food and Agriculture division says one in twelve people worldwide is malnourished, including 160 million children under the age of five. Other statistics say between six and eleven million children starve to death each year.

The Bible calls God’s people to live out their faith by taking care of widows and orphans. We are charged to feed and clothe the needy, yet sadly, this is not putting a dent in those statistics. Part of the problem is that authorities in needy countries exploit the poor by confiscating any aid sent and use it for themselves. But a bigger problem is that many of God’s people are children themselves, infants in the faith and without the maturity that pays heed to what God asks of us. Instead, we are too busy with our own wants and desires, like spoiled children.

As I read the following passage this morning, I thought of the various ways God provides growing experiences so that I can be mature and not tossed about by false teaching or my own selfishness. 

And (Christ) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11–16)

First, Christ gives gifted leadership to equip His people. Leadership is important to growth. Without mature examples, help, teaching and guidance, God’s people remain children in their faith. This has implications. How many who profess to be Christians are not attending church, not availing themselves of good instruction, or are not willing to listen to correction or anything that brings them into greater obedience? Without submission to this provision from God, the children starve.

What about those who are in church? Jesus gives leadership to equip them for ministry but in many churches, His people sit every Sunday hearing truth intended to equip them. They have what they need to go out and do something for others and for the glory of God. But they don’t go. They are “too busy” or have other excuses. Without us using our “equipping” to serve others, the children starve.

Another way God’s people grow up in Christ is by speaking the truth in love. I teach a ladies class using discussion methods. I tell the women that if they cannot speak up and say what they know about God in the safety of a class like this, how can they ever speak the truth to those who have never heard it? How can we be faithful witnesses to the power of God if we cannot open our mouths and tell people of  His greatness? Not only that, as this verse says, speaking up makes us grow up. Just saying what we believe produces maturity in us! Without that, we remain babes — sometimes starving babes.

The last part of the passage in Ephesians is about unity. Speaking truth and growing to maturity produces unity. This means that the Body of Christ is working as it should, loving one another and loving others, taking care of needs and obeying God. Unity is vital to the work of ministering to others. Without it, the children perish.

Sometimes the pictures of starving children make me feel so totally helpless that I just weep. What can one person do for millions? God offers opportunities for generosity, and it is important that I obey Him when He does. I need also to mature and keep growing myself, so that I am ready and willing to do as the Lord asks. He can take even five loaves and two fishes to feed a multitude. Whatever I can offer, He can multiply.

However, He also gives me opportunities to equip the saints, the sleeping saints, the immature saints, the children tossed to and fro. Each child of God alone cannot do very much for the woes of this world, but collectively we are a mighty army. When we are joined and held together with each joint working properly, we are a Body of love and no longer children tossed about — or too busy with our toys to think about the needs of others.

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Lord, the people of God are Your answer to much of the world’s need. While we cannot “fix” it apart from Your power and Your direction, Your Word gives us clear instruction. It seems that the Body of Christ could do far more than it is. I am part of that Body. Speak and help me listen. Give me direction and help me to grow up and do what You want done.
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