Dear little girl in Africa,

Please accept this pillowcase dress as a gift from me, a mother over in America. No, we don’t know each other, and we probably won’t ever meet. But God knows you and loves you very much.

 

Please don’t look at my stitches – look to the God who loves you.

 

I haven’t taken my sewing machine out in years, and I haven’t sewn a garment in decades. God was the one who gave me the opportunity to sew for you. It wasn’t my idea, but I knew that I wanted to be a part of the program my friend Barb started at our church. Barb knows a couple who travel on mission trips to Africa, and they like to give out pillowcase dresses. Barb had the idea to teach women from our church how to sew these dresses.

Please don’t look at my stitches – look to the God who loves you.

 

With the instructions from Barb, some pillowcases donated by people in our church, and some supplies I bought, I went to work. To sew. And sew. And sew. I made lots of dresses, praying over each one as I sewed. I prayed that through this gift, you would learn about God’s grace and how much He loves you. I prayed that God chose the colors and trim for these dresses to be exactly what you like. May God use this to show you how unique and precious you are to Him.

Please don’t look at my stitches – look to the God who loves you.

 

Have you heard the story about the Israelites who wandered for forty years in the desert? Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the second through fifth books of the Bible, tell their story. The Israelites had some tough lessons about discipline and obedience to learn, and they were often ungrateful and complaining towards God, but God still watched over them.  Deuteronomy 8:4 describes God’s amazing provision: “The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years.” God miraculously protected and provided for them in the middle of a barren desert, making even their clothing last while they focused on their lessons. As I sewed your dress, I prayed that God would make it last far beyond the limits of my stitching, so that you could focus on learning about God and His gift of grace through His son Jesus.

Please don’t look at my stitches – look to the God who loves you.

 

I don’t even know the people delivering this dress to you, but I pray that they will also teach you about the grace, love, joy, forgiveness, and hope that you can have through God’s son Jesus. My prayer for you is that you will come to know the God of love through the gift of this pillowcase dress.

[Originally posted February 2015]