I'm really blessed to have some thoughtful and creative friends, who also happen to read this blog! One of those friends read this post, in which I made a comment about my hand tremors and the challenge of threading needles. So, she bought and introduced me to this handy little gadget:
On one end is a flat metal loop that easily fits through the eye of a needle, but the loop is also wide enough to easily thread. So, you slip it through the eye, then thread the loop, then pull it back through the eye, and voila! The needle is threaded quickly without any fuss or bother. It has dramatically decreased my wasted time and frustration! You may also notice that there is a tiny razor on the other end, which I have found to be very handy in efficiently snipping loose ends. So now the needle threader is one of my favorite tools.
The second audio book I read was Peter Pan. Unlike War and Peace, this one is a lifelong favorite of mine that I have read a dozen times. It's a book that I think children enjoy, but adults can deeply appreciate.
While we're on the subject of sewing instruments, I smile as I remember one of my favorite scenes: Peter and Wendy's "kiss." There is a bit of a language/cultural barrier in the nursery after Wendy sews Peter's shadow back on him (the only natural thing to do), and when Peter holds out his hand to receive Wendy's kiss, she gives him a thimble. In return, Peter chivalrously gives her a "kiss" as well - an acorn button from his shirt. Wendy threads it on a chain and wears it around her neck to keep it close to her heart. Later in the story, Peter's "kiss" actually saves her life... in that classic, timeless way of the very best fairy tales.
And why does this lead me to worship? Because I know God loves to take our smallest tokens and use them in the biggest ways. Our paper flowers, our thimbles, our pasted valentines that are our pitiful and best attempts at expressing our love and thanks - these are more precious to him than diamonds. Our choice to get out of bed and live for him today, our small step forward of faith and obedience, our simple effort to be kind and caring to others - this is the stuff of legends, in the hands of our great God. And the little pieces of our broken hearts and dreams - these are the raw materials he uses to display his hope, power, and glory.
Just as an acorn button stopped an arrow from piercing Wendy's heart, so also can God take our prayer of commitment and our cry of praise... and draw a lost and dying world into his family and his kingdom.
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