By Gail Marsh
The God of love and peace will be with you (2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV).
It was simple in design. Five-inch yarn squares joined together to make a soft coverlet. My mother wove each square on a small loom that fit in her hands. Up and over. Down and through. Line by line, she added yarn until the little loom was filled. Then, after carefully removing the finished square, Mom began again.
When all of the yarn squares were completed, Mom placed them on the living room floor, arranging them in the way she thought looked best. Finally, she used variegated yarn to join the squares to make a small coverlet.
She called it her afghan, and it seems as if someone in the family used it every day! If we were feeling sick, mom covered us with the afghan until we recovered. Several family members could fit under the afghan’s warm embrace while watching television. It even made a pretty good imaginary “tent” when flung over a couple of dining room chairs.
Mom is in heaven now, and I’m not sure what happened to her afghan. I remember it, though, and how wonderful it felt to be wrapped up in it on a cold winter’s day. Just thinking about the simply woven cover reminds me of mom’s love, creativity, and care.
I’m reminded of the afghan, too, when I read today’s Scripture verse. Mom’s afghan serves as a simplified picture of God’s love and peace - for me, and for you! First, God’s love is intentional. He knows us intimately and because he knows us, he knows what we need. Because of our sin, we desperately need to be forgiven, to be reconciled with a holy God. And that’s where love comes in.
Love drove Jesus to his cross, and victoriously up from the grave. Because of all Jesus did, our Father’s love now surrounds us with healing, comfort, and peace. His love for us, his precious daughters, is unfailing. Constant. Reliable. Because God is love, his love for us never fails or fades. He continually loves us and, through Jesus, extends grace to us in every circumstance.
Prayer starter: Dear Father, help me recognize your love and draw peaceful comfort from it as I live for you today. Enable me to share that love with others, especially when . . .
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