Baby Bumper

I am making a baby bumper for a dear friend who just gave birth to her second son.

Not only am I making the baby bumper, but also the crib comforter, sheets, and headboard pad. It's quite a challenge for me!

Today as I was finishing the bumper pad, I was thinking of how similar it is to my life. You see, from a distance, it looks like its turning out pretty good! But once you get closer you begin to see all the little flaws and quirks that make it, well, less than perfect. It's material patterns are nice, the combination, the design of the appliques... but when you take a closer look at the bias tape and see how some of the stitches have turned out wonky and there are a few puckers here and there... If I made a list and pointed out all of my flaws, I would probably stuff it in a bag and hide it somewhere far from sight!

It's not like I was TRYING to do a sloppy job. Nor was I intentionally leaving it messy because of laziness. I am doing my best with the knowledge that I have. I am not letting the lack of knowledge hold me back either. I think I have learned more while working on this project that any other time. I have taken out I don't know HOW many stitches and re-positioned the material. The next time I make a baby bumper, it will probably turn out ALOT better.

Isn't that alot like our lives? From a distance it might seem that we are doing pretty darn OK. But if we take a real "nit-picky" view of it, we are sure to find a couple of flaws. I think that if we get caught up in those flaws, we will feel discouraged, worthless, and even depressed. Someone once told me guilt is one of Satan's favorite tools. And I think that constant focus on our flaws can bring on a sense of guilt for our shortcomings.

I am NOT saying that we should just fold our hands and make no effort at all to better ourselves. NOT AT ALL. What I am saying is that we need to do our best at all times, using the knowledge we have, and learning from our mistakes. We don't need to beat ourselves up about the little flaws that make us human. We DO need to examen our hearts to make sure we are always doing our best and giving our best to the Lord.

If Satan is constantly bringing up your flaws, you CAN say, "SHUT UP!" "It is God's grace that saves me!" "I AM doing my best as for the Lord, not for any man, much LESS for you!" **

Sometimes it is healthy to step back and see the BIG PICTURE and free ourselves from the wonky details that Satan tries to distract us with!

**Eph. 2:5 , Col. 3:23-24