Wisdom From The Craft Room Series

Wisdom of the craft room

1. Pattern

Many craft projects require a pattern.

My parchment craft usually has a border around it made of embossed dots or holes pierced and cut. To achieve this I have to follow the pattern very carefully.

The most frustrating thing is when you have spent hours on a project only to find that the border does not join up together.

My old craft group used to joke that this was butterflies were invented as we would make a butterfly out of parchment and place it over the mistake. This also meant that if we made a project that included butterflies we would explain that these butterflies were meant to be there.

God created so many patterns.

God made night to follow day.

The pattern is in place. For some reason our bodies function best when we follow that pattern, of being awake during the day and rest or sleep at night. When people have to work shifts it throws their bodies completely out of whack as they are no longer following the established pattern.

One of the best patterns from God is the pattern of prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13

9 ‘This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Notice that he didn’t say, "This is what you should pray." He said, "This is how you should pray."

This is a model prayer because it gives us a guideline for prayer.

Almost everybody in this room has memorized this prayer. Right? I won’t embarrass you by asking you if you know it or not, but almost everybody could repeat this prayer if we prayed it together.

Therefore, in your mind you already have an outline for a prayer that is guaranteed to please God.

Jesus said, "This is the way I want you to pray."

The pattern is not for long winded or flowery prayers but a simple prayer that prises God, asks him to supply our needs, forgive us, reminds us to forgive others and to keep us safe.

You would think this would be an easy pattern to follow and yet for many people it is not.

God’s Word gives us pattern for life which we must adhere to if we would see life. That is, if we would see the best life here and now and the life in the next.

Let us trust God enough to follow the pattern He has established for His people.

2. Scissors

Most dressmakers have a pair of dressmaking scissors that are for cutting out material only. There is big trouble should a spouse use these scissors for anything else.

I have a pair of scissors that are small with very sharp pointy ends. These are only used to cut parchment paper that I make my cards out of. I have a separate pair of scissors to cut tape and card etc.

So our craft scissors are special.

They are often designed for only one thing. To cut or trim something.

We need to trim our piece of craft work so that it fits in place correctly.

So that it accomplishes what we want to achieve with it.

Max Lucado says that God accepts us just the way we are but loves us too much to leave us that way.

Hebrews 12:10-11

10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

God is trimming us into shape, just like a sculptor shapes a lump of rock,

John 15:1-8

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.