I've allowed that "idea" that I just don't complete personal things that I start to become like a badge. "Oh I'll get back to that later" or in my mind "I just knew I wouldn't finish so why bother starting" What awful self talk!! I had myself set up for failure before I ever began. How sad.
But God got my attention that the self talk I was allowing to invade my life was not from Him. That is not the way a child of the Living God should ever talk to herself. He made me to be who I am....the way I am for a reason. And by embracing these untruths I was denying Him room to work.
So I have been focusing on letting go of my preconceived ideas about myself. I know when I let go He can and will do a good work in me. There is so much freedom in letting go....and I wanted to share the example in my life that he used to show me that there is no reason I can't complete personal projects and learn more about Him and myself in the process.
This cross stitch project was started when my husband of almost 16 year and I were engaged. I was so excited to make him something for our wedding.....It was completed for his birthday this year. I've carried it around for 16 years, through 15 moves and 5 children. Always holding out hope that someday I complete this give of love for my incredible husband. In January he was surprised, to say the least, when he received it on his pillow.
I was inspired! So off to Joanne's I went.
I am blessed with two mothers - my biological one whom I adore and my in-law one whom I also adore. They are both very crafty people. Sewing, painting, embroidery, you name it they just have that special gene that makes them crafty. So I decided that I would embroidery dish clothes for my mother-in-law for her birthday. Since she rarely get's homemade gifts I hoped she would know how much I loved her by making her something. So with supplies in hand and a book on embroidery. I read the book through, picked a very cute tea cup pattern, and set about my work. And guess what. I finished!! Not only did I finish it I wrapped it and got it off in the mail to her. But alas I have no photo's...I'll try and get some when I visit next time. But the important thing was that I finished! I had turned a corner in my mind, a corner that I had built up as impossible..."it's just the way I am". What a lie I had believed.
When I completed the dish clothes I began my daughters Christmas gift of her very own Princess pillowcase. It didn't take very long to make and I really enjoyed it. With the exception that I should have ironed it before taking the picture it turned out nice.
I have since began a new project for our family. A Sampler blanket with the alphabet along the edges. When I finish it I'll post more pictures :-) It is a bigger project and I look forward to finishing it and enjoying the blanket for years to come. It will remind me that God has a view of me that is different than I view myself at times and that I need to see myself through Jesus glasses and not the worlds or my own.
Psalm 139:13-16 "For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
