The amazingly intricate patchwork quilt pictured above is a famous Civil War-era relic known as the Reconciliation Quilt. Created by Lucinda Ward Honstain in 1867, it depicts scenes of everyday American life in the aftermath of the Civil-war.
According to the clarafordfoundation.org, the Reconciliation Quilt was sold at Sotheby’s in 1991 for $264,000!!!! — making it the most expensive quilt ever sold at auction.
Who would’ve thought that what started out as just some scraps of fabric and spools of thread, could one day be worth so much!
Mind = Blown 🤯
I don’t know if I’d ever pay that much for a quilt (let’s face it, $264,000 is more than I paid for my first house!!!😳😳😳), but I still think they are soft, cozy, and beautiful.
I especially loved my great-grandmother’s quilts. I remember going to her house when I was little, grabbing a peppermint stick from the mason jar on her counter and staring in awe at all of the beautiful patchwork she had lying around her house.
She made things like pillows and baby dolls, but “Grandma Abernathy” had a special talent for taking tattered pieces of fabric and lovingly sewing them together into magnificent quilts.
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My dear friend Miss Ruth wrote to me the other day with an idea she had for one of my blog posts. She said, “I was looking at a quilt a friend had made, and the thought came to me that she makes quilts beautiful from scraps (of material); but what does God do? He makes scraps (wayward man) into things beautiful (when they obey).” 😊
And you know what? She’s exactly right.
Just like my great-grandmother, with a pattern and a purpose, these quilters take seemingly insignificant scraps and make them into something beautiful (and useful) — and often selflessly give their finished projects away as gifts to family and friends alike. ❤️
When we choose to give the tattered scraps of our lives to God in humble obedience, reconciling our will to His, God can turn the fabric of our lives into a magnificent “Reconciliation” Quilt of His own.
In fact, the Bible teaches us that “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
The Bible is full of stories where God is threading people’s life events together for His purpose…and for our good.
Right now, we’re studying the life of Joseph in our Wednesday night Bible class. He’s kind of the perfect example of how God can take scraps and turn them into something beautiful — if only we’ll be faithful to Him.
Do you remember the story of Joseph? You probably do — you know, he was the one with the “Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat…”
(Or wait…maybe that was Donny Osmond??? 🤔)
😂😂😂😉 Anyhoo…Joseph was given that special coat because he was loved by his father — which unfortunately only made his brothers hate him even more.
The target of a murder plot, sold into slavery in a foreign land, falsely accused, and thrown into prison — Joseph’s life ended up as tattered and torn as his beautiful coat did.
And for a while, Joseph was seemingly forgotten by God…despite his faithfulness.
But behind the scenes, God was always there.
Sitting at his proverbial heavenly “sewing machine,” He was threading together the tattered pieces of Joseph’s life with a purpose and a pattern in mind.
As much as Joseph’s earthly father had loved him, he was about to find out that his Heavenly Father loved him even more.
God took Joseph’s dire circumstances as a slave and prisoner, and ultimately promoted him to second-in-command, right under Pharaoh himself — leading him to the conclusion that his brothers had meant “evil against [him], but God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20)
Joseph knew who was behind his rags to riches story. He knew who was sewing his scraps together. And he trusted that in time, God was making them into a beautiful…life.
Are you trusting God to do the same for you? He can turn your rags to a priceless quits too, if you will only let Him — if you will only be faithful to him, like Joseph.
Remember that really expensive quilt that we talked about before? The one that cost more than my first home?
Why was it sold for such a high price?
The materials themselves were certainly not worth that much. Neither was the labor.
But it’s a one-of-kind. It’s rare and beautiful and represents something profound in American history. So, therefore it has great value.
The value we put on something directly corresponds to the price we are willing to pay for it.
We too are each one-of-a-kind — rare and valuable in the eyes of God.
And God was willing to pay the highest price there is for our reconciliation — the precious blood of His son Jesus Christ.
And for those of us who choose to bring the scraps of our lives to the cross, He is faithful to weave them together for our good and His glory.
And the finished product will always be beautiful…and priceless.
Until next time…
– PWAP
