Originally published Tuesday, 03 November 2020.
My mother was a seamstress. It was a joy in her life, something that made her proud but also made her happy. That she enjoyed creating beautiful creations was something that always resonated with me. It's like my mom always had this mentality - creating beauty where few could see it and then hearing the praise because of her creations; she was a visionary - she saw it all along.
Whenever my mother sewed, the first thing she started with was a pattern. The pattern provided directions for cutting each piece, sizing, and stitching with the finished garment in mind. I found it intriguing, for I never imagined that a sleeve, for example, in a pattern could look so different than what I typically viewed as a sleeve. But as I watched her work, it made sense. She would clear the table, spread out her fabric, pin the pattern pieces to the fabric, then cut out the pieces. Then she would pin them together to get an idea of what the finished product would look like.
Then this is where the magic happened. She would set up her sewing machine finally threading the needle with the right color thread. She paid great attention to this step, for if the thread was wrong, the dress would not look good. The thread color had to match the fabric so that it appeared seamless. Also, higher quality thread required less handling. Poor quality thread has much lint and breaks easily, taking the joy out of any sewing project. Each type of thread has specific characteristics and will behave differently on sewing machines. Threads are either made of a natural fiber (cotton, wool, silk, linen) or synthetic fibers (rayon, polyester, nylon). (Source: https://www.superiorthreads.com/education/thread-characteristics)
All I saw when I looked at her thread box was an array of colors, but my mom knew the purpose of each and spent painstaking effort ensuring the thread was suitable for the garment she made. The thread is what brought all the pieces together. Slowly but surely, as the thread wove through the fabric, a beautiful garment emerged. Thread joining seams of seemingly disconnected pieces together.
As she sewed the pieces together, I saw the finished product emerge.
Because my mom did not have a dress form, she sometimes put a dress on me held together with pins. If I moved the wrong way, ouch! I can still hear her saying, "Don't move!" Pins are a poor substitute for thread, albeit a temporary one. Pins don't fill in all the gaps and pins hurt if we move the wrong way.
The basic function of a thread is to deliver aesthetics and performance in stitches and seams. Thread forms efficient stitches without breaking or becoming distorted during the useful life of the product.
Sometimes we do a poor job of establishing connections and become like pins instead of thread. Thread is smooth, can go into all the nooks and crannies, is stronger than pins, is malleable and strong.
I want to be a thread in the body of Christ, connecting seemingly disparate parts. I want to play my part in unifying each other, the only statement being one of connection. When I think of my mom, she reminds me of high-quality thread, for she was the glue holding us all together.
We can all be like a thread with the Golden Thread of the Holy Spirit weaving through us, making us stronger, creating unity. He strengthens, He reinforces, He joins with us, making us more powerful together than apart. We all need each other.
I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
Can you be strong as thread, weaving hope and unity wherever you go?
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