covered and safe

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!"  Isaiah 30:18

Due to health and safety issues, it appears masks will be part of our wardrobe for awhile. To decrease my anxiety and increase my feeling of usefulness, i decided to start making some masks. Not sure how to start, i got a kit for guidance. It was slo-go on the first one, but the next three went smoother.  With growing confidence, i went off the kit grid and bought some special fabric for a more personal touch.

All was going well, until i got engaged in a concerning phone call.  Surely, i can run a sewing machine, while i listen.  Right?  Wrong.  As i finished the call and the mask, i realized i had made terrible mistakes. 

The elastic was on the wrong side, and i had sewn the wrong sides of the fabric together. Ugh!! I was so frustrated with my lack of concentration.  With many tiny layers of stitches on all sides, it was hard to tell which seams needed removing and reworking.

Why did i feel so determined to keep and rework this material... it couldn't have cost anymore than a quarter?  Well let me tell you, it's not because i am THAT thrifty, but the message on the fabric was important to me... a reminder i wanted on good days and bad days.  So, after a brief hot moment, i ripped the mask to several pieces, set it aside and then, i went to bed.

The next morning with fresh eyes and a calmer heart, i pieced the sections back together and resewn it.  The finished product turned out much better than i expected. My sloppy mistakes were not very noticeable at all.  I was so thankful i didn't trash it the night before.  A defused hothead, saved disappoint later and brought joy back into the morning.

Father, disappoints and mistakes can bring out the worse in us, causing us to quit or lash out on things, people and circumstances. Sometimes when the ugly gets in our face, breathing its hot, nasty air in our space, we want to quit, hit and walk away or walk over it.  Help me to remember to keep breathing steadily, reach out to You for protection and to hold on for Your direction.  The answer needed or the valuable gem hiding in the dirt might be about to show it's shining face.  Please, Father, do not let me miss Your glory, grace and mercy.

we are loved and chosen by God,

may we live like we believe it,

veneal