What 'Seams' Impossible

 

Have you ever tried to learn something new and it just. didn't. make. sense?!

 

It feels like learning an alien language...

 

fitting a square peg into a round hole....

 

trying to pretend you could live without chocolate...

 

some things are just impossible.

 

 

 

That was me when it came to sewing.

 

Honestly, I can't count the times I tried to learn to sew over the course of my lifetime.

 

I think of several occasion where mom and I even made a special shopping trip.

We picked out pretty material, a simple pattern, all the necessities.

 

Needless to say, it ended with a red faced, tear stained me

and a head scratching mother who couldn't understand why I couldn't get it.

 

After numerous tries, I gave up.

Accepted the fact that I would never be able to sew,

even though I really, really wanted to.

 

Since then I admit I have had moments of temptation...

it is quite inspiring when one of your friends can whip up beautiful clothes practically in her sleep.

 

But, I always remembered those tearful episodes, and mentally chided myself.

Some things just weren't possible.

Until one day...

A number of wonderful factors came together that changed all that.

One, I received some great advice and inspiration from one of my childhood heroes,
Kristi Yamaguchi.

There was a magazine lying around our house that had her smiling face on the cover,
I picked it up and read a great article she wrote about facing fears.

She said something that struck me right between the eyes,

"Why should a dream have some part of it that was so scary?
Why would I have to do something I feared in pursuing something I loved?"

Sounds so simple, I know.
But for me, that moment, it was a profound thought.

I realized fear was my big stumbling block when it came to sewing.

I was afraid of that machine, with all its buttons, bobbins, knobs and levers.
The scariest part was threading it...so many little holes and twists and turns.

It made me dizzy.

But no more.

Armed with Kristi's words and a determination to face this fear,
 I sat myself down in front of that machine, already threaded from mom's previous project,
...and...just...stared.

For probably 5 minutes, I mentally threaded that machine several times,
memorizing each little detour the string took on its way to the needle.

Then....*gulp*...I unthreaded the string, and soon it was weaving its way through the
eight-sequence maze until it was safe through the eye of the needle once again.

And you know what?
It made sense.


Everything fell into place.

It was like a veil was lifted,
the blinders were removed,
the hieroglyphics made sense.

I was still a beginner, I didn't know how to read a pattern yet, or how to sew a dart,
 but the hardest part was over.

I had faced my fears.

I had forgotten that...
“With man this is impossible,
but not with God;
all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:27

There was no doubt in my mind that He had made it possible.

And the fun part?

It was Valentine's Day.

What a lovely gift...


"There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fear"
1 John 4:18