“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Cor. 12:12)
Before I started going to school, I spent Thursday mornings with my grandmother at the woman’s auxiliary at our church. The routine never varied. First, the women would sit down and have coffee and cookies. Second, they gathered around a quilting frame and sewed together. Third, they would have lunch on a wide variety of salads.
While the ladies quilted, I would crawl under the frame to get out of the way. If I was seen, I might be asked to do something, or worst yet, I might be asked to sing a song I’d learned in Sunday school.
Even though I would be playing with my toys under that quilting frame, I couldn’t help but listen. They talked about their lives, children and grandchildren, neighbors, and the weather and the crops. Sometimes the needles would be going up and down at a regular pace, sometimes they went quicker or slower, and sometimes they stopped. When the needles stopped, I made sure to pay close attention.
I learned a lot about what it means to be part of the Body of Christ under that quilt-making. I was always amazed to see how the ladies were able to take the scraps and leftovers from their other projects and then sew those patches together into something beautiful and whole.
On our own, we are like those scraps, leftovers, and patches. But Jesus, in His grace and mercy, takes us and sews us together to make something beautiful and whole.
I encourage us to give all the scraps, leftovers, and patches of our lives to Jesus. He will take whatever we give Him and then connect us to others. By grace, He brings us into his Body, which is like weaving us into the great quilt of His love.
Reflection Questions:
- What are the pieces and scraps of your life that you need Jesus to sew by grace into a more whole and beautiful you?
- Have you ever desired to cut some parts out of your life because you felt unworthy? How do you think Jesus feels about your temptation to do any cutting out?
- What moments or experiences have helped you to understand what it means to be part of the Body of Christ? What does being part of His Body mean to you?