Combined hobbies

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud...It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4)

This verse came in my daily verse email this morning. It's a great verse, and very true. So I thought I'd share my latest project in the sewing department...

A long time ago, I stitched this verse on a tiny 'blanket' and I always wanted to make a pillow out of it. So I finally got to work, chose the fabric that would go with the stitching, and sewed.....

I have some practice with pillows (see here), so it did not take me too long to finish the actual pillow. Also I decided against a zipper this time, but chose a pillow with an overlap in the back. Literally, it took me maybe 20 minutes to finish it - it was that easy.

Here is the finished product - it turned out pretty nicely, and will decorate our bed from now on (instead of hiding in the closet!).

Seriously, the overlap is so easy. Basically, I used half a yard of fabric, folded over and sewed the two shorter ends, and  then sewed the long ends together wrong sides together, with the overlap. That's it. Turn the pillow outside out, so the right side is on the outside - et voila.

Love is a word that we use alot, especially in America. To the German part in me, it's almost an overuse that takes away from the true meaning of the word. Love is a strong word that should not be spoken unless one means it - at least that's what I think.

On the other hand, the bible teaches us that we should love like God loves us, unconditionally, never-ending. And I agree. There is a difference between loving everybody, meaning not wishing them evil and treating them the way we want to be treated, and liking everyone - you definitely don't have to like everyone, or their actions.

I love how I have changed in the last few months, how the word love got a whole new meaning for me. It also seems to be the theme of our church, lately. What I see is love and understanding - we are not trying to 'fix' everyone. God made us humans all different - for a purpose. I believe that one of them is to learn to love one another, to respect and appreciate our differences. We can learn from each other, we can encourage each other, and we can give each other grace. The love that I show someone might make their day, or week, or change their life forever. It invites them to come and stay, which results in a feeling of belonging - and I believe deep down in all of us lays the longing for belonging. Everybody wants to be loved and eventually show love to others, and be a part of something - even as non-Christians.