Buttons, Talents and Tins.


Over the winter I had an opportunity to purchase a "lot" of items from  a seamstress estate. These types of sales can be lots of fun or a little scary. It all depends on the type of care given to the things that are for sale.  Some sewists keep there things in immaculate condition, others you have to wonder why it wasn't in a trash can.  I have done a lot of sewing room clean outs both for the living and for estates and it always leaves me wondering about the person that owned, lived and worked with these things.
One thing that is common in almost every sewing room is a container(s) of buttons.  This estate had several, which I purchased.  I love buttons, I think every sewist does and if you crazy quilt or do fiber arts you will love them even more!  In this lot there were several pretty vintage tins, one of them I thought was worth keeping, It cleaned up really nicely.



When I opened the tin it was full of buttons - Dirty buttons.  

Well no big deal, they are fairly easy to wash.  Usually they are restore-able
You have to wonder how they could get so dirty sitting in a tin for a couple of decades. 


While I was stirring these around it made me think of all the Talents The Lord pours into us.
What happens when we place them in the tins of our lives and don't use them?

The Talents the Lord gives us are to be a blessing, to our selves and to our families and maybe to the world.  But if we just store them up for someday, or even worse hoard them,  they are wasted and over the course of time become broken down to the point they cannot be used.

Which lead me to another thought, Do I worry more about how beautiful the container looks, Do I want it to be display worthy and put more care into that than using the contents?
In a vain, vain world It's looks that count and not necessarily content.


My new tin was worn with age, and it's contents were filthy

Fortunately  I was able to save the buttons in this tin and remove the stains from its' container! 

It is a lot like what the Lord did for me. 

After immersing then in the cleaning solution and stirring around - much like when I was baptized and sin was washed from me-

I laid them out on a towel  to dry in the sun.


They just sparkled with promise!

I did not restore them to the tin, I put them in clear jars, where I could see them and have them ready to use.


I would like to have  honesty, transparency  so that the  things of God in
 my life be the first thing seen.


Paint fades and rusts, But the Glory of The Lord is forever.


Proverbs 31: 30+31
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by
Ginny M



Comments

kiwimeskreations said…
Thank you for sharing these thoughts Ginny - a fabulous object lesson :)
Stay safe
Blessings
Maxine
June 5, 2020 at 1:53 AM
Christine said…
Beautiful post and yes, I think we DO care about the container and not the contents! Thank you for sharing.
June 5, 2020 at 2:03 AM
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