Pastoral Thought--December 28

About a week ago, Emma came out to the living room and asked us two related questions. . . One, what did we think about her learning to make her own clothes? [Emma was looking for a new hobby to occupy some of her free time]. Second, she wondered if Jennifer could teach her how to do this? 

Jennifer told her that it was a fine idea to learn to sew. They have sewed together before and made blankets for others. But Jennifer also said that she wasn’t sure how much help she would be as she sews quilts and blankets primarily—she hasn’t followed many patterns in doing so. But still we were encouraging toward Emma. Emma was not put off by this slight challenge to her vision; her determination was strong. She responded by asking if my mother, who was coming for Christmas, would teach her? I shrugged and said, ‘You will have to ask her. I cannot speak for Nonna. But I bet she would, but again that’s up to Nonna.’ She nodded and went off to message my mother to see if she could do this. . . 

Now, my mom learned to make her own clothes when she was Emma’s age so this was not going to be a problem. She has the skills and they are teachable. Both were looking forward to the project taking shape over the Christmas weekend. Emma just had to pick something to make and then decide what color/fabric that she wanted to use. Emma spend the days leading up to mom’s arrival thinking about her choice and talking with us about it at length.

So, just after lunch of Christmas Eve, as the snow was just beginning to fall, Emma and mom headed out to Joann Fabrics to buy the pattern, the fabric, and extra supplies that the project would require. They were gone much longer than I assumed. But when they returned, Emma’s face beamed with excitement. They had fabric. They had a pattern. It was going to be time to get working! Emma showed us everything that they bought and put the supplies by the Christmas tree. 

And so, a day later, Emma was on the floor in the living room, surrounded by presents, wrapping paper scraps, and her dog. She was cutting fabric and pinning everything together with a look of focus on her face. She started with the shorts which she made quick work of. They are a red and blue flannel. Emma completed them shorts in the time it took us to watch The Sound of Music on ABC (also a family tradition that we enjoy). 

It was then time for the dress! 

This was going to be harder and would require more skill, more attention to detail, and more measuring. But again, Emma worked hard on it. She asked questions when she was not sure and listened intently to each lesson. 

Last evening, Emma completed the dress with only minimal issues (She did manage to 'sew’ her finger to the dress which was quite painful). She came out of her room with her newly designed, and created, dress on, arms outstretched in pride, and a smile on her face. Her chin held high. This project required many steps and a lot of attention to detail. Emma chose to modify different parts of the dress to suit her own comfort level—longer sleeves, higher waist line, and a nicer hem. It was again her project and she was happy to complete it. She was proud.  

This got me thinking about our personal practices of the faith. . . As I watched Emma from my favorite chair, I witnessed someone who did not cut any corner in her task. She was faithful to the vision and committed to the work. Even when she did ’sew’ her finger (which meant putting the needle right through her entire index finger), Emma maintained the same pacing and commitment to the vision. Watching I considered the moments of my faith walk, of my growth as a Christian, where I demonstrated the same commitment to the task, the same unswerving passion. It is always easier to skip devotions today, to pray a little less, to allow someone, or something, to strip away the joy of our Christian walk. But we don’t have to let that happen. 

We will face setbacks. . . We might just sew through our finger. But I wonder if we can find the internal strength to continue working when the pain is present and frustration grows? I wonder how we will feel if we just keep working on living a Christian life in a world that is harsh and judgmental? I bet we might just find a blessing if we keep pressing on. . . 

Blessings

Rev. Derek