You have probably noticed that I'm a day late sharing this month's Psalm 23 block.
Monday's are actually a busy day at home and I should probably take that into consideration when offering free patterns or writing blog posts. You know when hubby goes back to work on Monday morning my housecleaning energy kicks right in as the weekends are spent quietly on a Saturday (our sabbath rest day) and Sunday's are all about the garden and getting things done that require the two of us.
So when Monday rolls around and my beloved drives off to school I sit down and work methodically through a list of to-dos before heading out after lunch to do the week's grocery shop.
Yesterday I pulled everything out of the fridge and gave it a good scrub before assessing what could go back in, what needed using up that day and what was past it's use by but still suitable for the chickens. We don't have much wastage anymore but after some missed homecooked meals last week due to a rather dark few days of depression, there was indeed produce that found it's way into the chook pen yesterday. I also vacuumed, mopped, did many loads of washing, organised my workspace, and after doing the groceries I packed everything away and set about making fresh almond butter, corn fritters and marinated baby cauliflower for dinner.
After the cauilflower ('colettes' as they are labelled at the market) baked they had crunchy ends and soft juicy stems - seriously delicious. Of course I forgot to take the after photo!
Praise God my mind shifted to a much lighter place after a long sunset walk along the beach at Pallarenda with my husband on Sunday night, and time with Blossom and the girls at the park this morning brought me right back to normal.
The 23rd Psalm block of the month
This month we're stitching the first half of verse 6.
When I drew this block up last year I imagined how the Lord would set a table before me, because it's my belief that He takes very seriously our personal likes and dislikes as it's all part of our unique character, part of who He made us to be.
I love flowers on the table, gingham tablecloths, old wooden chairs...so that's what I drew and eventually what I stitched.
What would your table look like??
Last week I said that in June I could reveal my new pattern made from the next Tilda fabric range.
The fabrics are called Little Farm and are so cute with small floral sprays, farm animals, farm houses, garden tools and seed packs. Everything is very small, no big prints in this line of fabric, which is perfect for my kind of design...because my patterns are not large quilts, but mini quilts or wall hangings.
When I thought about the theme of the fabrics my mind turned to home and from there a verse that means a lot to my husband and I seemed just right - Joshua 24:15
I used to believe this was a beautifully sentimental yet faithful verse, one which all believers adhered to...and then I studied it. Joshua drew a line in the sand the day he spoke this to Israel (not long before he died) because he was warning them that they would stray. The people declared, "No, we will always serve the Lord!" but God's man Joshua knew better. You see the very next generation, the children of those to whom he spoke these spirit-given words, strayed from the Lord.
Judges 2:10 - And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that He had done for Israel.
Wow, that always hits my heart. The last generation of Israel in Joshua's life did not diligently instil the teachings of God to their children and in just that one generation they strayed away and 'did not know the Lord'.
So I take this statement, this declaration, very seriously these days...because it's not idle or simply a 'nice' heartwarming verse to quote. It carried with it a warning and because of that I searched my heart before bringing this from Bible to stitchery.
The embroidery design itself is styled as a plaque that would hang outside the front door or by the front gate of a home, and the borders are a double of my favourite 'homely' patchwork block, the churn dash. I've sat one block inside another and really love the cosiness they bring to the mini quilt.
The pattern will be included in July's set of Faith In Hand patterns (go HERE to find out more) along with two more designs that I love and have wanted to include for a while.
I suppose there are some reading this today who wonder 'how' I could find myself in seasons of depression? After all, I am strong in my faith and know without a single doubt that Jesus loves me and will always provide for me and offer me strength and comfort when a need is there.
Well, we live in a broken world and some of my life experiences dealt deep scars that when triggered by various dates, situations or even a passage of scripture can bring to the surface griefs, regrets, sorrows and emotional emptiness. Not for long, but for long enough that I feel the need to hide away for a bit and seek the arms of Jesus and His Word for the healing, correction or refreshment my heart, mind and soul require.
Designing with Biblical passages of Scripture as my inspiration brings me joy, but also a lesson, always a lesson, because in God's Word nothing is wasted and as it is alive and living (Hebrews 4:12) He speaks through scripture to encourage, assure, correct, comfort, strengthen and warn...and sometimes a particular passage will affect my life (or my character) more deeply than others because there's a lesson to learn or a healing which needs to take place. That's something which happened again recently and even though I felt hollow and unable to delight in my life for a few days I knew that 'this too shall pass' and He would bring me through with a greater understanding of my relationship with Him and His with me. And so it was.
I didn't really mean to go that heavy today, but then again, one thing God has clearly said to me lately is to be real. That doesn't mean my life is an open book, but it does mean that when He asks me to, I need to be open to share what He's doing with me, a woman who lived half her life without Him, and how walking beside Him and being open to where He leads has changed (and is still changing) me into someone I hope can one day say,
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
(2 Tim 4:7)
If you knew me thirty years ago you would not recognise me today. And that's as it should be. For the old me was not someone I would choose to be again...for when Christ came into my life He changed me for the better and since that day He has never let me go because I'm still a work in progress, still being refined.
My prayer for you right now is that you are able to experience the life changing love and mercy and grace of my Saviour, and that even if you are a believer, but struggle with darkness from the memories of the past, that you find your Light in the One who will never let you go - for He has borne the greatest sacrifice, the shame, and known the deepest betrayal and disappointment. And He carried all of that to the Cross for you and me because His love for us is deeper than we can ever understand or experience this side of heaven.
Bless you precious one, for you are indeed PRECIOUS in His sight.
loving hugs
21 comments:
Thank you for the beautiful block. Your Granddaughters are getting cuter everytime you share a photo of them :)
Thanks for sharing your heart, Jenny. Moments with the Father are precious! And sometimes a moment is all we need to lift our spirits. Blessing and grace on you.
Hi Jenny beautiful post my friend , love the pic of your grand daughters the oldest one reminds me of a younger Blossom,she is always full of smiles what a blessing these two sweet girls are to you and Mr E. your food always looks so yummy and healthy ,hope you have a wonderful week Jenny full of fun and love xx
Hi Jenny,
we can't always be 100% and up beat and going all the time. sometimes it takes a few down days to keep us in check, re energised. see clearer, better. Take care of ourselves :) learning from those moments, accepting and carry on :)
Thanks for sharing on your blog!
hugs,
Joanne
Thank you, Jenny. I am thoroughly enjoying stitching Psalm 23.
My dear, I sincerely think that someone who does not have a few dark days of depression at some point in their life does not have a heart or a brain. Our great luck is to be able to lean on the Lord. This does not mean that we have the obligation to be immune thanks to our Faith. It means that we, his flock, can count on Him.
Congratulations to Blosson. A 26 pretty girl. God Bless you.
Seems to me that no one living in the dark days the earth is in currently, can miss some days of depression. Due to writing a book for my offspring, of my life...even leaving out some parts no doubt, there have been some hard days for me too...but part of not repeating problems of the past involves the knowledge of them and what happened too, so I feel compelled to write this. I am amazed at all your work; the latest one involving setting a table before us in the presence of our enemies is incredible. It is a verse I have had to cling to at times, when we had to go see some of my husband's kin who are downright nasty people. Rarely a visit that has gone entirely well...and the shorter the better. So keeping that verse forefront in my mind during those times has enabled me to survive whatever happened. And feeling that visits went ok when keeping that verse in mind!! (They are currently retired pastors, by the way.) Real life can be beyond belief!! Going apart from others at times is even told in the Bible...some humans are indeed difficult and we need some peace and quiet to recover. Glad you are feeling better now. Depression also can be a physical thing that most doctors seem to know little about. Our best doctor ever, also a GOD follower, prescribed for both me and hubby, taking a teeny amount of lithium per day...at the small 5 mg amount, it is over the counter here in USA. It does help!!
Wishing you all the best, Elizabeth
Hi Jenny, Your embroideries are lovely. I love daisies. The white on white looks so pretty.
I do not know a person, myself included, that has not walked through the valley of depression at times. Even in the Scriptures, different people experienced it. Depression is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that you have an enemy that knows you have a purpose and greatness inside of you. You are a threat to that old devil. But even in the valley, He restores our souls.
We all testify that when Jesus saved us, we are not who we were. He grows us into His Bride. One day, we will be with Him. Then we will understand all the things that made no sense to us, or those depressed times that are so heavy. You are doing great. God will get you through it all.
People love you and truly would like to be like you are. You heart shows a lot more than you, are aware of.
I also love the Scripture Joshua said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Powerful declaration.
The little girls are getting older and are as cute as ever! Kids help us grandmothers in ways that only children can do. My grandson stayed a few days with me. He could not wait for them to lift this lock down of isolation. It did me plenty of good, too!
Brighter days are ahead. And if not? Well, we have the LIGHT of the world...and we will be just fine!
Be well, Jenny. God bless.
Bonsoir Jenny
Merci une fois de plus pour votre post , c'est un plaisir de vous lire , cela apporte la paix qui nous manque parfois pour affronter la vie de tous les jours ...
la dépression n'est pas une faiblesse , par contre il faut lutter pour s'en sortir ...
Bises à vous tous
Françoise de la France
Oh Jenny, I love reading your blog. You speak with truth and knowledge of our Savior. Love all your stitchery too. We've been Christians over 40 years but are still being transformed by our Lord. The verse of Joshua was and still is our verse. Our children were all raised in the 'church' but we see no evidence of them walking with Him now. Is that where 'when they are old they shall not depart' comes into play? Also, thought how can Blossom be having another baby ..........she just had one. By the picture, I can see they are growing fast and I'm happy there will be another little one in your family. Blessings to you. Patty
Bless you for understanding lovely lady. xxx
Translating Francoise comment -
Good evening Jenny
Thank you once again for your post, it is a pleasure to read you, it brings peace that we sometimes lack to face everyday life ...
depression is not a weakness, however you have to fight to get out of it ...
Kisses to all of you
Françoise from France
As you said "...I'm still a work in progress, still being refined.", we are all being refined! After seeing what the refining process is with gold, it is not gentle or easy, as all change is difficult, but the end result is worth it. So thankful to have the Lord walking through this refining process with me, as doing it alone would be impossible. Spending time in God's creation and with littles we love is so refreshing to our souls. Your grands are so adorable and growing up so quickly.
Thank you Jenny for your lovely post today. Love your newest project done int he Tilda prints. Very pretty indeed. And thank you for block 6 in the BOM. My goodness Raphaella is almost as tall as Cully Mae....She is gonna be taller than her one day at the ragte she is growing....Love you my friend. I am glad your depression has eased up and dissappeared.
Your openness is admirable, Jenny, and I'm terribly sorry for the depression and sadness that sometimes gets hold of you. Still, you have the most solid understand and approach to life and eternity, and that's a treasure. You very eloquently share God's truths, an ability I do not have but believe right alongside you. Your granddaughters are gorgeous - I'm trying not to be envious of the fact that you have GIRLS :-). And I'm noticing all the time you spend keeping up your household - preparing meals. You make me appreciate how spoiled I am by a husband who does all the cooking! Time spent in the kitchen doesn't go well for me anymore, though it did when our children were young. I know I'm better-suited for sewing and quilting. Our differences - yours and mine - make me more aware of God's ways - how uniquely He created us. I love that you so much enjoy stitching and creating these vintage-looking pieces, and offer them for free. You're a generous and gifted woman.
I read your passage about Joshua 24:15 to my husband last night and he asked me to print out that portion of your post for him, for further study. You are an amazing ambassador for faith! It is a mystery to me how no matter how diligently we believe we are instilling the teachings of Jesus to our children, some will seem to fall by the wayside while their brother or sister continues to walk in their faith throughout their adulthood. We as grandparents can only continue to pray for the ones who have fallen away, that at some point in their lives they will remember the teachings of their youth and begin to instill those teachings in their own children.
Thank you for the beautiful pattern of this verse, and for your heartfelt thoughts about walking with Christ. The love of God is one of the things I depend upon. He won't save me IN my sin, but he will save me FROM my sins, when I repent and experience that change of heart to walk with him. It is not a one time deal, it's a constant process, and I admire you for talking of your process as you go. Thank you for the encouragement it gives me.
Thank you so much for sharing your authentic self with us.
I'd also like to thank you for your prayer today. I tend to allow the darkness of the past influence my present and your words were just what I needed to hear.
I hope you have a blessed day.
*hugs*
God led me to read this post today. Thank you. I know that darkness you speak of very well, and it has made John 1:5 so vivid in my mind when it talks about the light shining in the darkness and the darkness not being able to overcome it. I am so thankful for all of the healing that I have experienced, but I understand about the triggers and how you can be taken unaware by a return of the emptiness and darkness. Sometimes I get discouraged, because I think that it is behind me. But it is precious to me to know that it cannot overcome God's light and that it brings Him joy when I run to Him like your little baby grands, to be scooped up in arms of Love and comforted and restored. The verse you quoted from 2 Timothy was on my mind this morning as well. God has used you today to encourage and confirm His Word in my life. Thank you. I will be praying for you, Jenny.
Dear Jenny, Thank you for sharing from you heart about seasons of depression ... I have had many of those seasons and could have written your last few paragraphs myself! I, too, am a woman who have lived half her life without Him but am so very grateful that Christ has changed my life and the old is gone. Thank you, too, for your encouraging words and prayer. Forgive for not reading your post sooner! God Bless!
Bless your precious heart, Essie. xx
Let me start this off by saying I'm catching up, no need to reply to all of my comments, lol!!! Oh dear heart how I love you - no matter what, you point to Christ. A faithful servant you are to Him. I adore the picture of the girls, so precious!!! And I love the new Psalm 23 block, I can't wait to get started on that now that my own club is done - love the new club designs as well, how will I have time to make everything of yours!!! I'll make time. LOL. Love you my precious friend!
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