Stitches on the tapestry of life...one at a time.

Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb. -Genesis 12:9 (NRSV)

I am sitting in Nicholas' hospital room and he is doing better each day. It is day five after heart surgery and he is making slow and steady progress. I recalled this verse in Genesis and was reflecting how God often moves in stages. He takes us step by step through a difficult journey and never leaves us along the way. He is a God that provides and then take the steps with us.

Lenela Godwinn writes:

ONE of my favorite plaques in my home shows a little girl sewing on a piece of cloth while a small black kitten sits quietly and patiently by her side. The picture is one of peace and contentment. The words accompanying the image proclaim, "Life's pattern is stitched a little at a time."

How I love that statement, and yet how often I forget its meaning! As a busy mother of three sons, I often find myself wanting everything to be done right now. I am impatient to know God's will for my life. For people like me, Abraham is an example of faith and patience. Abram, soon to be Abraham, was 75 years old when God called him to leave Haran; but with faith and perseverance, Abraham traveled toward the Negeb.

The Bible doesn't say that Abraham made it in one day. Scripture says that he "journeyed on by stages towards the Negeb." In my life, I want to heed the example of Abraham and remember the words on my plaque. The pattern of my life will unfold gradually as I journey by stages through the years, answering God's call day by day.

Karen and I are taking this healing journey with Nicholas one step, one stage at a time. It is another stitch in God's great tapestry of life. Nicholas is getting better and it will also come to completion in his and God's time. Thus, we walk along side this great and mighty God and He will carry us through.

We appreciate everyone's prayers. Keep it up. God is uniting all of us in the praise and the petition. You know I love ya, Don