Lamentations

As I was reading the book of Jeremiah, I kept thinking how awful the punishment was for God’s chosen, yet rebellious, children. And the book that follows, Lamentations, took me through that place of profound suffering. It spared nothing in describing the horrible events of their Babylonian captivity. I was thankful it was a short book, and despite the deep despair, messages of hope and mercy flashed brightly throughout the book. I had forgotten, or more likely, never knew that this passage came from Lamentations:

3:22 – The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.

This passage triggered the ole memory banks to recall this song:

https://youtu.be/96wFybfgspM

I’ve mentioned before that I grew up in the Southern California “Jesus People” movement of the early seventies. We used to sing this song All. The. Time. How wonderful to be reminded of it again now.

Some people think this saying comes from the Bible, “God will never give you more than you can handle”. It makes you squirm a little, doesn’t it? Because there are a great many things too big for us to handle. This makes us question: “Does that mean I’m not quite up to snuff in the strength department, or my reliance on and faith in God?”

Not at all.

If I could tweak that well-known non-scripture, it would instead say: “There is nothing you will face that is greater than what God can handle”. There, that puts the power in the right place. And God’s got this.

Because there’s no Bible Sampler Quilt block that accompanies Lamentations, or in fact, the rest of the Old Testament books, I’m going to share instead some blocks I’ve been working on behind the blog scene as I’ve been reading through the books of the major prophets.

I’ve decided to go all in with the Jane Stickles quilt look. I’m going to make those icicle blocks all around the border, which is, in my opinion, the element that makes her quilt so unique. And I really want to use up all the fabric I’ve gathered from this era. I want to use it up and move forward to brighter palettes. As much as I love these Civil War era reproductions; they have the curious effect of reminding me of my age.

But sewing is ageless. Do you feel like a kid again when you let yourself go with an idea, make creative chaos, and play in your stash?

I do. I started paper piecing the triangle border blocks. First I made up my own:Will they fit?

Then I found Susan Gatewood on the internet.

See the difference? I do believe I’m going to love them. Her blocks aren’t the right size for my quilt, so I’m stretching them out a bit. And the blocks with curves and appliqué? Forget about it. They will be replaced with those very simple blocks that were done pre-Susan Gatewood.

I’m excited to see that a few new subscribers have found my “secret blog” (as my husband refers to this. I’m slowly growing more comfortable with social media). I hope it’s inspiring you to consider making your own Bible Sampler quilt, and reading along with me. Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear what you’re up to. What are your thoughts on the book of Lamentations?