Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW (05/02/19)
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TITLE: Like A Child | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jackie Smithwick
05/07/19 -
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I called Shelly to my sewing room for one last fitting before making the finishing touches. I slipped the frilly little blue dress over Shelly’s head. She was happy with the dress, but then she asked me a strange question.
“Grandma, what does rips what you sew mean?”
Although a strange question I took it as an opportunity to share with this little four year old my love for sewing and how it all began.
“You know Shelly when I was a young girl we had a class in high school called Home Economics where we learned to cook, keep house, and sew.”
Shelly was only in preschool, but I could tell she was already looking forward to big girl school when she asked, “Grandma, can I have that class someday?”
I told her I wasn’t sure, and went on to feebly try to explain. “In my day, girls were expected to be homemakers, and these were the things that prepared them for that. Things have changed and today girls have a lot more choices for their grown up lives.”
“Anyway, one of the first things I learned in sewing class was how to rip out a seam that I had made a mistake on. This taught me to try harder at following directions on the pattern, and to listen to the teacher. If I made a mistake the seam would need to be ripped out, and I would need to start all over again. I think this is what rip what you sew means.”
Feeling a little pang of pride that my little granddaughter would want to follow in my footsteps I then asked, “Where did you hear about ripping what you sew Shelley.”
With her big blue eyes sparkling with excitement, she exclaimed, “It was at church.”
“At church?” I asked.
“Yes, I heard the preacher say “you rip what you sew.”
Immediately I knew what had happened, so I proceeded carefully, as best I could to explain that the preacher was actually saying “you reap what you sow.”
I told her it was like planting a seed, and how it would grow to make lots of flowers or vegetables. I also explained that it meant when we do bad things we must face up to it and accept the consequences.
With a puzzled look she asked, “what is a conseekence?”
I realized, that even with my limited knowledge, I may be speaking over her little head, so I went on to say “Oh that’s like when you take a cookie without permission and mommy sits you in the corner, or it is like being punished for being mean to your little brother.”
Shelly became quiet, and I could see she was a little confused, so I said, “But you know Shelley Jesus loves you anyway, and if you have him living in your heart, he will not even see all your mistakes when you go to be with him in heaven. It is sort of like this dress. If I make a mistake and it doesn’t fit, you wouldn’t want to wear it, and I would have done all this work for nothing. The bad sewing would be like s.o.w.i.n.g and not having a pretty dress would be the reaping.”
Not sure she understood, but I went on to say, “Just remember Shelley, Jesus loves you and although you will make mistakes when you get older, He will always love you.”
I wasn’t sure if I got the point across, but I smiled really big when she said, “Grandma, when I grow up I want Jesus to help me sew my whole life together.”
“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-3
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