STITCHED PRAYERS

Today, I am pouring a poem from my Alabaster Box that came to me several years ago along with some of the whys and wherefores of my little "Comfort Quilts" or "Stitched Prayers". It is more of a blessing to me to be able to create these than for those who receive them. 

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LORD, I offer my life as a prayer

that each day others see Jesus there,

that the Samaritan in me shows them I care,

that I will help someone their burdens to bear,

that with those You send me my sweet Jesus I share,

that I will keep loved ones from Satan's dark lair,

that nothing I do gives You cause for despair,

that to You I am daily a breath of fresh air.

LORD, I offer my life as a prayer.

When I wrote this poem several years ago, I did not realize the full meaning. That did not dawn on me until a year or so ago.

God's Word tells us to "Pray without ceasing". How in the world in this day and time can we "pray unceasing" with the busy lives we all lead? There are children to care for, our jobs, yards to mow, laundry, errands to run, phones to answer, vacuuming, meals to prepare, beds to make, bills to pay-and neither of these can be done in a kneeling position.

Then the "aha" moment hit me, the light bulb came on. All that I do, all that I am, is my prayer.

My prayer for an abundant life for our family is our jobs.

My prayer for good health is the food I prepare and a clean orderly home. Grandson, Travis, loves home cooking and he tells me to "put some love in it, Mamaw".

My prayer for a good day for my children was sending them off from a calm, loving atmosphere instead of one of chaos and turmoil that makes it impossible to settle down and learn.

My prayer for pride and confidence in themselves is helped by keeping their clothes clean so they could feel good in knowing they looked their best and by encouraging them to do well instead of discouraging.

My prayer for a good life was teaching them God's Word and to live a Godly moral life.

I am a great grandmother now. I have raised four children and four grandchildren. I, along with every other parent, have the most influential, most important position in the world. Everything we say and everything we do has far reaching affects as the ripples from a stone when thrown into water radiate from its point of landing.  

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Hebrews 11:1 tells us :"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Several years ago I started making what I call "Stitched Prayers" or "Comfort Quilts". They are small quilts made for those I am praying for-usually for healing. As I stitch, I pray. Now there is no healing power in those little pieces of cloth but there is healing in my faith in God so Stitched Prayers are the substance of things I am hoping and praying for and the evidence of things I cannot see what God is doing.

The thought to create the first Stitched Prayer came while our church was much in prayer for a young woman who was found to have a heart conditon while expecting her first child. I had never seen a prayer cloth so just followed my heart through the making.  

Many have been made since. Some of the ripples I have sent out have come back to me-when one of my children or grandchildren call me with a prayer request. Grandson, Dan, gave his Stitched Prayer to his friend, Ben, who, he said, needed it more than he did at the time because of the death of Ben's baby. It blessed my heart to know that this ripple I had sent out kept going.  

Some have gone into operating rooms. The cross on the piece is raised so it can be felt even if the patient can't see it. It is small enough to be kept in a pocket or purse. One young woman came up to me in the church parking lot and brought hers out of her pocket. She said she always had it with her. I had forgotten even making it for her. The Stitched Prayer had been made for her during a stressful, confusing time in her life when many of us had been praying for her.

The ripples you send can be anything: a note or card of encouragment, a phone call, a pat on the back, a crocheted square, a book, a plate of brownies---------------

Sometimes our ripples are under the surface but because we don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there and at times we are to start with pebbles and work up to stones. 

LORD,

please forgive if when others look at or think of me,

 it is not JESUS in me they see.

God bless you

Carolyn Wainscott

EMMA'S QUILT

Each of us has treasures [talents,gifts] we have been given to pour out on others. Some we regard as not important enough to share because others' talents seem so much more significant. No matter how small or unimportant we may feel our talent[s] is, we need to use it so it is not lost as the unused talent in Jesus' parable [Luke 19].

In our online Bible study, our moderator/leader, made the statement she had been thinking on Psalm 90:17-"Bless the work of our hands" or "establish thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it".  Quilting is the reason I feel a connection with this group. Most of us are quilters and some are making a block a week so it is somewhat like an oldtime "quilting bee" even though we are scattered all over the world and don't know each other personally. "The Work" of the hands of many in this group is going on to others. Some doubt has been expressed as to the time spent quilting rather than in other activities that might be more beneficial so Carol was telling us that what we do is beneficial if we ask God's blessing on our work and do it for His glory.

One of our group asked for prayer for her 3 year old granddaughter, Emma, who is in treatment for leukemia. She posted a photo of that beautiful, smiling little girl with no hair that just touched my heart. Jesus told us that where two or three are gathered in His name, He would be in the midst. Even though we are not all together physically, we are together in mind and spirit praying for this little girl as we have prayed for other requests.

One of the treasures that God allows me to share is my prayer quilts, [comfort quilt, stitched prayers] and I felt that Emma should have one. There was one last set of printed Bible verses on fabric that I had done  to use for these children's quilts and that was Emma's. A pink fabric was chosen to finish it out for her and there was even a matching soft doll of the same fabric.

There is a pocket to fold the quilt up into and to put a book. I keep books to go along with the quilts.  Emma can also stick her little feet into the pocket to keep them warm and covered.

During the whole process of making the quilts: cutting the fabric, sewing it together and especially during the quilting [stitched prayers]-prayers are going up for the child the quilt is intended for. The message of the love of Jesus that is sent in the fabric seems to give the child a sense of peace and calm.

As "Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"  tells us, my quilts are the substance of healing, peace, love hoped/prayed for and they are the evidence that God is already taking care of that child.

So, Emma, your quilt is to help you to always remember that Jesus loves you. He is with you, taking care of you.

EMMA'S QUILT