How’s my heart?

“I wanna be Your hands. I wanna be Your feet.” There are several worship songs that use these words. (The one going through my head right now is by Newsboys.) These words echo the desire of my heart. “Lord, please use me. Let others see You in me. Help me to use the gifts and abilities You have given me to glorify Your name and point others to You.” That is my desire for this quilt. I want others to see Jesus in every stitch. I have been overthinking this whole design and I need to get out of the way. As it is coming together I have had moments where I have thought “I didn’t see that coming….Lord, that looks great!”

I have several of the verses traced out on my background fabric and I have started stitching them. Hand work is very relaxing for me and I am thankful for the opportunities I have to sit and stitch. As I was working on this block I began to think about the difference between the front and back of my work. The Lord began to speak to me that it is similar to my outward appearance and what is going on in my heart.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

He sees every place in my heart. He knows when I get angry or bugged at someone. He knows when I get jealous. He sees the pride and the arrogance. He sees every messy and ugly thing in my heart that I don’t want others to see. I am deeply aware of those truths, but like a child who thinks no one can see them hiding in plain sight, sometimes I think I can hide those sins in my heart. I know I can’t. I know it’s ridiculous to even try but sometimes my pride justifies the way I am feeling.

I try very hard to keep the back of my work neat and tidy. If I am working with a darker thread on a light color fabric it is very important to keep any stray threads in check as they may show through on the front when my work is finished…….hhmmmmm…..if I am having dark (sinful) thoughts they may show through when my work (day, life, etc…..) is finished…..

Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life.

Proverbs 4:23

KEEP. That word tells me that it is my responsibility to keep my thoughts under control. If I am grumbling about the number of dishes in the sink when I get home from work I need to be thankful for the people in my house who dirtied those dishes. If I am disgruntled because XYZ still isn’t fixed I need to be thankful for all the things that ARE fixed and working properly. I need to keep things in proper perspective. I am ABUNDANTLY blessed and my grumblings and complainings do not glorify or please my Father in heaven.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.

Psalm 139:1

I take real comfort in the words of this Psalm. God is with me wherever I go and He knows all about me. He knows me better than I do. I may try to convince myself of something. I may hold onto a thought or desire long after He has revealed my true intentions to me. But He never leaves me. He knows all the sinful things in my heart and He loves me anyway and is with me everywhere and all the time.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139:7-10

My God is with me wherever I go and I want Him to be pleased with the things I am doing and just as importantly the things I am thinking. Nothing is hidden from Him and I don’t want to be ashamed of the hidden things in my heart when my work is finished.

I pray that your day glorifies and honors the Lord.

Blessings,

Michelle