One of the things I’ve always wanted to be was a “Crafty Mom”. So one of my first steps towards that is learning how to make the draperies for Charlotte’s nursery. With the guidance of my mom, I’ve really made a lot of progress.
But this is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. From the measuring, to the cutting, to the ironing, to the hand stitching… its a lot of work. There have been several times during this process that I’ve wondered whether or not it was really worth just buying them already made. And while there is the monetary savings to consider (it is so much cheaper to do it yourself than pay for pre-made curtains), the time commitment is slightly insane. However, there are too many things that I’d be missing out on if I had just bought them from a store. First, would be the $100+ dollars I’d be missing!! Second, I wouldn’t be able to say that I had done it; I wouldn’t have that accomplishment. I would miss all this time I’m able to spend with my mom. And I would miss out on being able to tell Charlotte that I had done this for her.
I think so many times we take the “short cut” in life. We just get the store bought version of something instead of taking time to really make something. And this is especially true with relationships. They can be messy, challenging, and very time consuming. But if you try to take the short cut “just add water” approach to a relationship, you’ll never really get the deeper sense of accomplishment that comes with a true friendship. You’ll have a superficial version that looks great from the outside, but it won’t have any meaning.
And how many of us do this with our relationships with unsaved people? We want to say “Hi, Jesus loves you, do you want to become a Christian?” and hope that they respond accordingly. But we don’t want to take the time to build a friendship with them before we “pop the question”. If we take the time to sow genuine care and love into thier lives, then the rewards are far greater than the sacrifices.
Who in our lives do we need to “sew” a better relationship with?
Guiding Beauty & Building Courage 
this is so true! & I have my own testimony for this very blog. It’s one of the reasons that I stayed away from the Christian life for so long.
& the curtains… are freakin’ fabulous! I am lovin’ the print!!!!!!!!
but i like to ‘just add water’ …
Let me know which Sunday that you want to preach this!
I can’t imagine what revelation would have come if you were sewing her entire bedding 😉 just kidding!
I am totally reading this when I teach in June…Maybe ill get you to read it from stage.
Jamie, don’t forget to bring the curtains on stage too for all the visual learners!