Something Beautiful

Bible Reading: Psalm 37:23-29

“This is going to be so pretty!” Emily exclaimed as she helped her grandmother work on a quilt—a wedding gift for Emily’s cousin. “Madison will love this!”

Grandma smiled. “Each square is cut from one of her old shirts or dresses,” she said. “I plan to make this kind of quilt for all of you kids.” She stood up. “Come here. I want to show you something.” She led Emily to a storage closet and opened a box half full of cloth squares.

Emily recognized material from some of her favorite clothes that no longer fit—and she also saw squares made from some not-so-favorite ones. “These are to make a quilt for me?” she asked, and Grandma nodded.

Emily was amazed at how Grandma could take such old, useless, outgrown things and make something lovely from them. “Wow!” she said. “I didn’t even like the outfits some of those pieces came from, but when I see all the squares lying together in the box like that, they look great!” She grinned at her grandmother. “You’re good, Grandma!”

Grandma laughed. “You know,” she said as they returned to working on the quilt for Madison, “our lives are something like patchwork quilts. God sees all the pieces of our lives—the good and the bad. He cuts, shapes, and puts the pieces of our lives together to make something beautiful.”

As Grandma spoke, Emily recalled the week of vacation her family had recently enjoyed. She remembered the fun she’d had at her last birthday party. But she also thought of some of the worst days of her life—the day her grandfather died, the low grade she had gotten in math one day even after studying hard, and the unkind things another girl had said about her at school only a few days before.

“So God can take all the pieces of our lives—even the things we think are terrible—and make something good of them?” Emily asked.

“That’s right,” Grandma replied. “Jesus is able to make something good from every part of our lives—even the parts we don’t like. He uses each of our experiences to help us grow and point others to Him. We can safely trust Him with all of our days.” • Debra W. Smith

How About You?

What happy days do you recall? What bad ones happened lately? Maybe you came in last at the track meet, or maybe one of your friends lied about you. Maybe someone you love is sick. Whatever it is, does it seem like no good could possibly come from those difficult times? Trust Jesus to take all of your days, the good and the bad, and use them all to make your life a beautiful testimony for Him.

Today’s Key Verse:
Psalm 37:23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Trust God to shape your life