I made my way through my stash of craft supplies in the
basement to see if I could find some pretty fabric to make masks from. I came
across some fabric that contained cherry pink flowers with Eifel towers and
beautifully written French words. I remember making curtains from the fabric
for my niece who decided she wanted her room decorated with a Paris theme. I
decided the feminine print would be perfect for a mask. I brought the fabric
upstairs and began the task of cutting the fabric to the size needed along with
the soft backing it would need, and finally snipping the elastic to the length
it would take to make a nice fit.
I took to the sewing machine and began stitching the two
pieces of fabric along with the elastic together like I had been doing with
other patterns for the past several days. I sensed God impressing some thoughts
on my heart as I moved the fabric through the machine. Everybody wants to go to
Paris, you know. In spiritual terms, He was saying everybody wants to go to the
Promised Land, but no one wants to go through the wilderness, or the quarantine
we have all been called to for this season. As the thoughts flooded my mind and
heart, the Lord went on to say sometimes it’s necessary to go through the wilderness
to get to the Promised Land. There are powerful lessons that can only be
learned in the wilderness that would be impossible to be comprehended in Paris.
As a nation, no one is where they want to be; no one wants
to wear a mask that restricts the freedom of taking in a deep refreshing breath
that we are used to, but as we travel through this wilderness, the mask is a
layer of protection against uninvited germs and particles from entering the respiratory
system of those we come into contact with that could restrict the ability to
take in a breath at all! We are traveling to Paris! In Paris, we don’t need a
mask, but until we get there, a mask may be an important part of the uniform to
help us fight while we are in the wilderness.
No one wants to worry about what they may encounter just
because they had to make a grocery run, gas stop, or a doctor appointment, but
for now we are in the wilderness and we must be concerned about what we come
into contact with so we can get to Paris! In Paris, there are no worries,
sorrows, trials, or pain, but we are not in Paris yet!
Everyone is trying to figure out what to do in the
wilderness. God would say keep moving! Don’t get weary in well doing. Learn the
lessons well while in the wilderness because Paris is just over the mountain
top! If you stop in the valley of the wilderness, you will become weak,
thirsty, discouraged, and depressed. If you don’t keep moving, keep drinking,
keep eating, you will die! Paris is on the horizon! Don’t stop in the
wilderness, just keep moving!
