Fri., Aug. 31, 2018

1 Peter 1:4 – And God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

This is a gift that I will treasure.

At this stage of my life, I don’t receive many gifts. And really, I’m OK with this. What do I NEED? Nothing. Seriously. Yes, there are things that I WANT but often, if it is something I REALLY want, I plan to get it myself.

I am really much more comfortable about giving gifts than receiving gifts. I look forward to being able to share a little something at the appropriate time in a person’s life.

This gift arrived recently. From my sister, Debbie. A gift from her and my deceased Mom.

Debbie is a quilter. She has made many, many quilts and given lots and lots of them away as quilts. My Mom did some quilting in her later years. S preferred more wall hangings or table runners than actual quilts. Yet, her Mom, my grandmother, was a huge quilter. She sewed lots of quilts and worked with a group of ladies who hand-quilted quilts at their church. She did this for years and loved it.

Last fall, my Mom talked with my sister Debbie about making a quilt for all her children; my brother, my two sisters (including Debbie) and myself. If this project was going to happen, my Mom would need Debbie’s assistance.

Unfortunately, Mom passed away in January before she and Debbie began the quilts. After Mom’s death, Debbie shared with me Mom’s wishes and her desire to fulfill Mom’s wish.

My Mom had lots of fabric. So, we went through it and pulled out pieces we thought might work for someone’s quilt. Debbie had some fabric she contributed to the project. I went through my much smaller stash and found a few pieces to add as well.

Then, Debbie began sewing. She started with my parent’s eldest child, my brother, and completed his first. Then, she made my sister Denise’s quilt. And then mine. Each quilt is different. The colors and design are picked to represent our personalities and preferences. As she completed the quilts, she had them machine quilted and then sent to each sibling.

My quilt arrived this summer. Debbie knows these colors are some of my favorite. In our current house, I have decorated with grey, green and some blue. She picked these specific fabrics because these are the colors in our bedroom.

Isn’t the quilt beautiful? Didn’t she do a fantastic job?

It’s a wonderful tribute to my Mom and will be a gift that I will treasure.

As hard as it is for me to receive gifts, I pray there is one gift I will always willingly accept and treasure: the priceless gift of eternal life available to me because of Jesus Christ. It’s not something I can earn or achieve. It’s completely free, granted to you and me because of God’s deep and unconditional love for you and me. There are no strings attached, no hoops to jump through, no ladders to climb. It’s right there for each one of us if we simply accept it.

This is one gift I pray I am smart enough to know that I need, I want, and I desire. A gift that I will treasure every day of my life. A gift that is even more remarkable than this beautiful gift bestowed upon me by my sister and deceased mother.

A gift made possible because of a deceased son, Jesus Christ.

For precious gifts in my life, I am grateful.

Lord God – how can we ever repay you for the BEST. GIFT. EVER. The opportunity for eternal life through your Son, Jesus? We can’t. Yet, I pray we will always appreciate this gift you have made available to us. May it be a gift we always treasure. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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