Friday, February 15, 2013

The Core of Love


Psalm 17: 8 Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings.”


I love apples, don’t you?  Today, so many varieties await our picking.

Crisp, juicy, convenient, satisfying; my favorite, oh, that’s hard to say. 



Honey Crisp, Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, I love them all.  I delight in my apple during the 3rd hour of my work, usually between 10:30 and 11:00.  Chomp, chomp, I eat it down to the core.
                                                  ~~~                             
This month, I learned from a student/friend, how to Cross-stitch. Looking in a box of supplies, encouraged to find a small project to practice on, I did just that. An apple pattern caught my eye and I began to count the squares, thread the needle through and then back to make the cross-stiches.

It’s not as easy as it looks! I’m glad for a good teacher and patience. Many times I threaded the needle back through the same hole to undo what I just did when crosses didn’t seem to match up. 

Recount, keep an eye on the right line, follow the pattern; eventually, a familiar form started to appear on the canvas, resembling a red ripe fruit.

In need of a very dark red and a very light red, in addition to the “regular red”, I popped into my local craft store and found the right colors for the highlight and shadowing. As an artist, I am aware that color-shifting hues give any drawing depth.  I spent 87 cents. Now, this is a craft I can afford! 

It took me three long weeks, working a little less than an hour each school day. Yesterday, I finished it—on Valentine’s Day. I brought it home. I think its future may find me converting it into a refrigerator magnet or a bookmark. We’ll see.

Yes, Valentine’s Day. Alone again this year with my husband and son working out of town. In my need for some comfort, I reached for the Word as I normally do each night before the lights go out. I flipped it open to the Psalms and started reading in Chapter 17. “Keep me as the apple of the eye,” vs. 8 states.

God just sent me a Valentine!  Apples look like hearts, don’t you think?

He used an everyday thing in my life, along with His Word, to minister to my heart in a moment I felt lonely, reminding me I am the "apple of His eye." No such thing as coincidence when you are tuned into the Holy Spirit. Sure, I created the cross-stitch, but He provided the pattern.  The time to perfect the details takes a committment. I need to ask my self, "Do I want depth, true beauty?" It really wasn’t hard. I wanted to make it look like the drawing; the right image. God provided when I took that step of faith. Going back through the holes of wrong decisions occasionally happens. That is a testimony, and I gained wisdom to teach another. With careful redirection and teaching,  I finished well.



Lord, thank you for apples. Thank you for threads of love in your Word that create a picture of Your love in my heart.  Cross-stitch…yep it certainly is. Amen.

What promises has God cross-stitched into your heart?  

3 comments:

  1. Lovely project and lovely words, however the font size was almost as small as those canvas squares. Missed your usual font, but loved the post!

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  2. I enjoyed reading this Friday footnote, as I always do! You've once again woven ( or should I say cross-stiched) a picture for us. You have connected many dots for us here. From the fruit of the Fall to the foot of the Cross, you have helped to stitch us to the Heart of Our Savior.

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    Replies
    1. I love your comments Doug, You weave my thoughts with yours and the Tapestry reflects the Glory of God through Holy Spirit Inspirations. I am so blessed to partner with you three writers, Traci, Doug and Linda.

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