Criss, cross, criss, cross… The steady sound of thread pulling through fabric is gently soothing as features form with each stitch and row. This was my first full cross-stitch that I have ever done and at first I was wondering if I would finish it in time and then I was wondering if I was just wasting time making a cross-stitch when I could be doing something else seemingly more productive or impactful. But with each stitchmy thoughts seemed to weave into the rhythm of the stitches and lead me back in time to memories and wonder.

Criss, cross, criss, cross…

I remember my mom’s sewing box, tucked away between the TV stand and living room wall. I see her taking out a length of thread and showing me how to cut it and help it find its way through that ever so tiny eye of the needle, my own eyes squinting ever so hard to see it. She brought it up through the back of the fabric, up and through, and suddenly it disappeared again and reappeared, then disappeared and reappeared – criss, cross, criss, cross – the first stitches being born.

Perhaps those stitches were not the most beautiful in the world, but thinking about them now, they are to me. This mother, whose womb I was stitched together inside and who intricately wove my life into her own, taught me this simple yet beautiful art – these stitches that reflect this wonder.

Criss, cross, criss, cross …

I sit here in the winter morning light of my living room twenty-nine years later, my own little one softly sleeping in her room, giving me an hour or so to myself – criss, cross, criss, cross – wondering at first if I am wasting time, then finding myself in this memory, seeing that it is seemingly wasted time like this that rhythmically coaxes us to treasure time as each stitch rises and falls.

Criss, cross, criss, cross…

It struck me: the Lord knit us us together in our mother’s womb. With the fibers of this universe he made threads of color and life. He took these threads and a needle that somehow would bind us to both this physical world and spiritual world and began to stitch.

Criss, cross, criss, cross…

And though in his power, he could have made us poof into existence in mere seconds by the power of one breath, could he instead have took seemingly wasted time to weave our body and our heart and our mind and soul together stitch by stitch.

Criss, cross, criss, cross….

To an eternal God it is not wasted time to stitch together every single one of his beloved – you. There is no wasted time in eternity, for you have an eternity of time. The Lord has an eternity of time to wonder over you and how he will form you, to take specific fibers of this universe and begin to weave you together and stitch you into the fabric of a certain time and place. And I believe he does so in an ever so intricate and painfully time consuming way.

Why?

Because he has an eternity of time. An eternity of time to focus on the contours of your soul.An eternity of time to choose where you will begin and where you will end.An eternity of time to hand pick just the right array of color to form your eyes, your skin, your hair, your heart.

An eternity of time to choose where you will begin and where you will end.

An eternity of time to focus on the contours of your soul.

An eternity of time to choose where you will begin and where you will end.

An eternity of time to hand pick just the right array of color to form your eyes, your skin, your hair, your heart.

Criss, cross, criss, cross…

The Lord exists in eternity, even as he enters into our limited time. And we are made of both – both of eternity and of limited time. We sense our limited time and yet we sense that we were made for the unlimited, the eternal. So, while we are limited, we are eternal beings and for eternal beings – you and I – it is not wasted time to stitch with the fibers of our cotton thread and wonder over these memories and see that it is time like this that rhythmically coaxes us to treasure time as each stitch rises and falls.

Criss, cross, criss, cross…

I see this when I think of the countless moments of seemingly wasted time that my mom spent weaving my life into her own – holding me close when I was fragile and just entering this world, cleaning my little face and fingers and toes with innumerable kitchen cloths, piles of diapers, mountains of laundry, hours on bended knee by the bathtub, again and again and again pushing the swing that hung from our tree, hundreds of tears wiped from my cheek, patient afternoons spent teaching me to crawl then walk then run then climb, and that one sweet moment among many teaching me to use needle and thread.

Criss, cross, criss, cross…

So similar to my own moments with my daughter now – seemingly wasted time, yet, now I am thinking that it is not wasted time at all. Perhaps these moments are reflections of a God who chooses to take an eternity of time to stitch us together, to seemingly waste his time on us, but know it is not a waste at all. It is his delight, his joy, his purpose in stitching us together – to enjoy an eternity of time with us. An eternity of time stitch by stitch.

Criss, cross, criss, cross…

A wonder of cross-stitch.

For the cardinal, I followed a pattern found in the She Reads Truth Advent 2020 book. I finished it just in time to gift to my mom for Christmas with this wonder – she loved it!

Here is a truly amazing cross-stitch my mom made for me when we moved into this home. It took her many more hours than my little cardinal, but fittingly so, considering how many more hours she’s spent caring for and stitching her life into mine.

This wonder is for you. Love you with all my heart, Mom <3

Want to Start Cross-Stitching Yourself?

A cross-stitch kit can really help you learn and get started. It has everything you need and instructions. Peruse your local craft store or a lot of times mom-and-pop thrift stores will have a number of kits or sewing supplies. Etsy has a ton of cross-stitch designs available! You can also buy your own separate materials and follow a picture or your own imaginative mind!

Here’s a few items I thought were cute or helpful. Click any of the pictures below to shop. This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This can help me build up this site of wonder!