I have a small collection of antique quilts. One of my favorites is a pink and green beauty with neat patterns of triangles and squares that were carefully stitched together with tiny delicate stitches. The plump, beautiful quilt appears to be in pristine condition. Perhaps it wasn't used very often or was kept neatly folded in a deep trunk to only be taken out when company arrived. I can almost imagine how impressive it must have looked lying across a bed so many years ago.
Another of my favorites is a thin, stained quilt that was rescued for a few dollars from the "Rag Bin" at a local thrift store. Another handmade project, this quilt displays an almost ghastly combination of colors and is held together with uneven stitches – except in the places where the seams are splitting completely apart! The fabrics are a variety of shapes and textures, and though faded and worn thin with time, they somehow still look warm and comforting. Most obviously, the quilt features large holes that reveal the matted white batting inside.
Strangely, it is the condition of this second quilt that has endeared it to my heart. I can't help but wonder…Was it originally made with great care for a loved one? Maybe used throughout the years to warm the many children of a large family? Was it taken on picnics or made into play forts? Used as a tablecloth or thrown on the floor as a rug? Maybe it was tacked at the windows to keep out icy drafts or even used to warm up newly-born farm animals.
Can't you deeply appreciate the intrinsic beauty of a well-worn, stained, and tattered quilt that authentically served its purpose? And don't you want to be that kind of a person who sacrificially loves and meets the needs of others?
Washed and neatly folded, my humble raggedy quilt now lies in a special display place in my home. Honored and valued, it rests.
May we work just as hard for our Savior until He lets us know that our work here on earth is done.