Independence Day has always been a special day of celebration to me. Many of my family members…including my father, my grandfather and my husband… all served in the Military. Their service and the service of thousands of men and women over the past 243 years means so much to me. Each and every American should be very thankful to them and thankful for this great country in which we live.
Another wonderful aspect of Independence Day is the opportunity to view the beautiful fireworks that take place in all the communities across the country. The colors are magnificent. As I watch the fireworks in the night sky, I can’t help but design beautiful quilts in my mind. You just cannot imagine how many quilts are in my head waiting to be cut out of fabric and sewn together!!
In the month of June, I’d been working on a Log Cabin quilt to enter into a contest. The quilt has the July 4th theme of colors. It is my own pattern design with stars surrounding log cabin blocks, which then surround additional stars. It has a scrappy look to it, which I adore! You know me, the scrappier the better! Well, as things normally go, the deadline for the contest was drawing near. There were many projects with deadlines that I was trying to methodically complete based on their due dates. By the time I got to the Log Cabin quilt, I was having some painful back issues…herniated disks years ago which haunt me every few months! I persisted in working on piecing the quilt together and then getting that little quilt onto the quilt frame to be quilted.
Don’t know about you, but as I sew and quilt, the Lord often works on my heart; He deals with things that need dealing with in my life! By the time I got this little quilt (30″ x 40″) onto the quilt frame, I began to notice many “issues” with the little quilt. The Lord began convicting me as He pointed out the flaws in my quilt and then He compared them to the flaws in my heart! Oh, my! He showed me where the tension of the stitching was ‘loose’ on some of the areas where I pieced the quilt together. Then He asked me, “Lori, are there areas in your life of which you don’t have a firm hold? Are you careful about what you allow to enter into your mind and your heart? Such as… bitterness, anger, pride, hurt feelings, etc. Is your heart Independent from Me?”
Oh, boy! There was some house-cleaning of the heart that I needed to do right away! You see, once those things are allowed to enter a person’s mind, they begin to fester and turn ugly in the heart of the person! That person becomes bitter and ugly to be around because the bitterness exudes cynicism and hurtful words towards others. It may be involuntary on the part of the bitter person; but, it is quite evident to others, even if the bitter person doesn’t notice it themselves!
Then the Lord went on to point out some of the quilting (which was not so hot since I wasn’t feeling well enough to stand at the long-arm quilt machine and quilt!!) He asked me to take note of where my ‘stitching in the ditch’ was actually ‘jumping the fence!’ Oh, no! There’s more that He wants to point out to me? Apparently, yes, there was! When I gave my life to the Lord at salvation back in 1987, there were certain conditions by which He asked me to live and honor Him. These were things He showed me, personally, in His Word. I devoured His Word back then and still read through the Bible each year. He shows me new & exciting things every single time I read through the Bible! There are notations throughout my Bible with dates indicating what and when the Lord spoke to me about certain issues…prayer, doctrine, standards, living for Him, etc.! He asked me, “Lori, are you holding firm to the decisions you have made over the years to be true to me, or are there times when you are tempted to ‘jump the fence’ like some of the quilting stitches in your quilt? Do you allow your heart to be independent of Me?”
Oh, boy! So, the house-cleaning of the heart began all over again! What a very convicting Log Cabin quilt it has become! Each time I look at it, I remember the sweet fellowship with the Lord that day as He pointed out things I needed to work on or to remain firm in…
Well, needless-to-say… the little quilt did NOT get entered into the Contest! I absolutely could not bring myself to enter it with all the flaws that were so apparent to me. Since the JUDGE of Life very clearly showed me its flaws, it was doubtful to me that the Log Cabin quilt would make it past the judges of the Contest to be juried into the Quilt Show!
The verse that came to mind that day as the Lord spoke to me was from 1 Samuel 16:7; ““But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” In fact I included the verse on the label on the back of my quilt. Nothing special about my label…just offers some basic info about the quilt, and I wrote the verse at the top of the label to remember how the Lord spoke to me during its construction! (Note: the picture of the quilt label is fuzzy so it’s hard to read the writing…but it’s there!) 
What a person looks like on the outside is important to man, and it is important to our testimony for Christ. But, what is really important to the Lord is what is in our hearts! Our hearts make us or break us! Do we have a pure heart or a defiled heart? Can we stand pure before Him in His presence, or would we be ashamed? Does God see His Son (Jesus Christ’s) blood applied to our hearts in salvation? He clearly offers His simple plan of salvation to each and every person. We must set aside our pride, repent of our sinful condition, and accept the free gift of salvation, which Jesus Christ provided when He shed His blood on the cross.
I thank Him each day that He provided that wonderful gift to me back in 1987. I have been His child ever since. He has never denied me, although I have disappointed Him, I have made Him angry due to my actions, I have grieved Him. BUT, He has Never changed, He promised me eternal life at salvation and God is not a liar! Praise His Name!
“For God so loved the world (that’s you and me!), that He GAVE His only Begotten Son, that whosoever (anyone!) believeth in Him should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE!” John 3:16. That is a Promise from God! Grab that promise and make it yours by putting your faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, who paid your sin debt for you!
So, I’m on to my next quilt… I wonder what the Lord will have to say to me as I work on it? I pray you all have a wonderful and safe month of July! Hope you get to quilt to your heart’s content!
Happy Quilting! Lori Dickman; (Col. 3:23-24)