Written by Sabrina Nino de Campos, Iron Rose Sister Ministries Volunteer
My grandmother was a great seamstress. When I was a child I watched her for hours and hours while she worked in front of the television. When she passed away, my mother took as a souvenir some things that she had worked on. One of those souvenirs, my favorite one, was a quilt made with many, many patchwork pieces put together. It wasn't cold enough where we lived for me to fall asleep with something like that, but I liked it anyway. Besides being very colorful with its different little pieces, it brought me feelings of peace and memories of my grandmother.
Looking at the Bible, we can see how God loves to bring together people who are so different and special to share His plan, to be part of the great story He was preparing for us. Men, women, and even animals and nature.
And even after He has fulfilled His plan of love through the sacrifice of Jesus, God continues to bring different people together for the glory of His kingdom.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:10-12)
If we look around us, at our brothers and sisters, we see how different we are, each one of us a special piece made by God. He, in His great plan, in His great love, not only gave Christ to us for the forgiveness of our sins, but also gifted us companions that we have in faith. We are one big patchwork quilt. Each one connected, forming part of the great family that God has given us.
By fulfilling our individual purpose, we also fulfill a purpose as a whole. John says that if we love one another, not only does God abide in us, but His love is manifest among us fully and completely. God had a purpose with the church, the brotherhood that He gives us is a piece of His full and complete love for us. We not only thank Him for loving us, but also for giving us a constant reminder of His love for us. Like a patchwork quilt, we can cover ourselves and be protected, and feel loved and cared for, because we know that the love of each different patch comes from the same Source, which is our Savior and beloved Lord.