Job's Tears - longest WIP ever

Long, long ago, back when I had only three children, I started a quilt called Job's Tears. It was a beautiful pattern, but for many reasons, I was unable to bring it to completion. (Like six more children! And all those curves made this pattern an overly ambitious design for this young quilter.) So the completed patches and the remaining fabric languished in a plastic container for a decade. And another. And half of another.

Fast forward to a new phase of life. While those nine children still give me plenty to do, time for sewing is happening once more. So this summer out from the box came this quilt which I wanted to finish for a Christmas gift.

The fabrics are unlike those being sold today. In general, I'm moving in a more modern direction, but I still like the vintage feel of these. It was hard to find border and binding fabrics that would look right, though! Even the colors being produced these days are different from those 25 years ago.

So I finished up the blocks, added some borders, worked and reworked those wedges for the corners, and then quilted it using my new Juki TL 2010-q. That new machine makes quilting large quilts so much easier! I even tried a feather border pattern in the outer white border.

About the time I was putting the finishing touches on this quilt, I happened to be reading through the book of Job. This has always been a difficult book of the Bible for me. As a younger woman I found it hard to get past the fact that all of Job's ten children were killed. All his CHILDREN! ALL his children! I'd think, even as I made my way through to the end. In more recent years I read with a growing frustration at the "advice" from Job's three older friends.

For some reason this time it was different. First, maybe because I happened to be reading a different translation than normal, or just because I'm older, I noticed and loved the poetry. But more than that, the theme of the book shouted: God is GOD! This message shows through Job himself, through the words of his young friend, Elihu, and then most especially through God's response to Job. Yes, indeed! God is God! (And I am not!) I may not always understand His ways, but I know He is sovereign and His ways are good and righteous!

Finally, tonight I found a song called "God is God" by Stephen Curtis Chapman which beautifully expresses this truth. HE is God! All praise be to Him!