Hebrews 12:1 states:
A beautiful image came to my mind tonight, as I settled in after work and dinner. As soon as work is finished, and if I have no evening activities, I like to put my pajamas on. Then after dinner, while the kids are doing homework, I like to crawl under my “granny” blanket and finish up some studying or work on some writing until they are finished with their work. Usually this gets me at least an hour of writing time in the evening.
Tonight as homework started and I wrapped myself up in my granny blanket, I had the most beautiful image. You see, my granny blanket is actually a homemade quilt, made by my grandmother. Each block is lovingly embroidered with the names of relatives long gone, along with their children. Now I don’t know these people; all I have is their names. The only ones I know are my grandma, her husband and her children.
But there is something beautifully comforting wrapping up in this quilt at the end of a long day, and I think it relates to Hebrews 12:1. In this quilt I’m figuratively surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. I know that some of my grandma’s family on here were deep believers in God. So while I can figuratively surround myself in this cloud of witnesses, I am reminded that I am surrounded by a literal great cloud of witnesses, spurring me on to not quit. Spurring me on to run with endurance the race set before me.
I often don’t feel like I have great endurance, and yet God has not failed me yet to provide just the right kind of endurance I need for the challenge that is presented. Like my previous post, I will not quit. I will run as hard and as fast as I can until I reach my eternal home.
Below is a picture of the quilt, laying over my chair. I also wrap up in the quilt in the early mornings when I am studying and praying, and I sit in this chair to do that work. Many tears have been shed in this chair–tears of frustration and tears of joy–as I wrestle with God’s word and His purpose for my life. And my cloud of witnesses surround me–including my mother and my grandmother–cheering me on to keep running; to not give up.