Hem Me In
“Shout to the Lord for joy, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness.”
Not many letters, unless you level the lines, trace each letter on a ladder and then paint each one. The top line provided the opportunity to reach to the skies on the stage of Rogers Christian Church. Today is the painting day. Driving to church, I prayed that God would help me to stay within the lines, hold my legs steady to complete the task before me.
Suddenly I could hear Mom’s voice reading — You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. (Psalm 139:5). Many things went through my mind as I climbed the 10 foot ladder to finish the top lines, I told myself, “Remember, you are 81 years old. Be very careful.” Then I prayed again for strength to paint and most importantly to stay within the lines.
I laughed aloud. Whenever Mother quoted this verse, I pictured her nimble fingers rolling a hem, measuring, and then stitching by hand, the resulting hem.
As a child I chaffed at being rolled into a small place and stitched in to stay. I wanted to explore the world and all its experiences. Sometimes the hem would be a 3 inch hem, but still, I wanted space. I wanted freedom. I wanted independence.
Patiently, and sometimes not so patiently, my parents tried to teach me obedience, ‘to stay in the lines’. Perhaps they understood their headstrong daughter wanted to scale any challenge. One day I came home from college and told mother I wanted a two piece suit made of red taffeta. Mother usually made my clothing….and it would have taken two hours. She decided that I needed to learn how to sew. We purchased the pattern and the red taffeta material. Then she supervised cutting out the pieces of the puzzle from the material. Then came the point of no return. The sleeves included a diamond shaped piece under the arm. My temper began to flare as I tried to fit this gusset into its place between the sleeve and the back and front. “Ootch it!” my Mother admonished, after I tried three times, ripping out the stitches each time. “What?” I asked. She explained to stretch one side and ‘ootch’ in the gusset (diamond shape).
Finally Mother said she was leaving for awhile. “Why?” I asked.
“You need to figure it out on your own, I will come back later.” Mom replied. Feeling totally abandoned, I spent an hour ‘ootching’ and finally sewed it together. I think there were a few tucks here and there — but Mom gave me the room to solve my problem. Now I wonder….How much better if I had taken a deep breath, prayed for guidance – depended on God to help me, would it have ‘ootched’ easier?
Who knew that God would teach me a lesson on a 10 foot ladder today? The joy of being hemmed into a safe place with God. The joy of being able to depend on God for guidance and strength and knowing God would steady my hand. The faithfulness of God that allows me to feel freedom to serve Him.
God’s boundary provides peace and joy, and I echo with my Mother –
I’ve learned that it is a blessing to know and trust that — YOU hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Comments? eacombs@eacombs@cox.net