One of the talents God has given me is the art of sewing. And to honor Him, my focus has been on creating hand-sewn banners that I give to His saints to inspire them, encourage them and give them hope.
I remember vividly the first banner I made. It was for my father Irving Overby in his twilight years. Dad had diabetes and it proved to be the death of him. After stepping in some acid on his job, infection progressed from his toes upward finally resulting in him being a double amputee. It was tough seeing him being in that state knowing what an active and competitive athlete he was in his younger years.
To comfort him and to lift his spirits, I sowed a banner for him that said I LOVE YOU DAD, on it. He kept it as a comforter on his bed and was so proud of me for making it for him. It was my honor. This man had supported me and coached me in different sports in which I participated, especially baseball.
As I grew in grace, I acknowledged that this could be one of the callings God wanted me to do to lift up and edify the saints. So, I did. I made 3’ by 6’ foot banners for saints in my church and for saints outside my church.
To personalize the banners, I sowed their favorite scripture on them so it would be special. The response I received was overwhelming as I saw my gift bring many people to tears. That made my spirit leap for joy because I knew I had pleased the Lord.
Each banner was a labor of love and took an average of two weeks to make. It was labor-intensive but well worth it. I was honored to have two of my banners hung in two different churches—Abundant Love Christian Church and Budd lake Chapel. One year was quite busy as I made 12 banners. Eight were for the leaders of a church, and four were for saints outside my church. Of these four, one was for Reverend Cheryl Johnson who retired from Trinity Lutheran Church in Dover, NJ, one was for Papa Billy a preacher from Africa, and another for a dear friend and saint Gert Scouten who was ill in her twilight years..
I have ceased sewing banners and turned my energy toward writing. This is what happens when you listen to the direction of where the Holy Spirit leads you. I remember that saying from Ecclesiastes which says, for everything, there is a season. And that is so true. What you want to do may be good and pleasing to the Lord, but it may not be in His plan or in His timing.
In other words, God’s infinite wisdom and divine plan may want you to accomplish His will according to His purpose. And since His ways and thoughts are both different than ours and much higher than ours, we have to get on the same page with Him. What He has in mind is much grander than anything we could ever conceive.
CONCLUSION
Listen to that still inner voice inside you and heed the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is your counselor who will bring to remembrance all the teachings of Christ and will always lead you to the truth. Make yourself available to what God wants you to do. And know that God will never ask you to do anything that He will not equip you for, so you can accomplish His will according to His purpose and not return to Him void.
Let me know if this post has motivated you to do something that you have a passion for that would honor God. Did this give you a jump start? Share your thoughts below.