Seams and seam-rippers.

When I was interning at a lingerie shop in June of last year, I started out mostly in the alterations room. Since I was a fashion design major, they decided to teach me how to alter bras. The secret of alteration is...(wait for it)...to change something and yet make it look as it was before or better. Usually when altering bras, we were just altering the size of the band; doing that required good eyes, a seam ripper, and patience. The sewing on the straps of bras is very overdone (in my opinion since I was taking the stitches apart.) A zigzag stitch would be used and would be sewn in such a way that it appeared to be one looong thick stitch almost like embroidery (check out a bra strap near where it fastens.)

Anyway, my job was to take apart the part of the bra where all of this stitching was. Because all of the stitches were so together, you had two ways, the slow way, or the fast way, of getting my job done. The slow way would be to pick at each stitch and rip them one by one; this could take forever since the stitches were tight and so close together. The fast way would be to slip the seam ripper underneath the stitches with some force, and rip them all apart together--if they were too tight you'd have to do it the slow way. If you want to keep the fabric intact you also had to be very very careful, and occasionally--alright at least once a week, I would rip my finger with the same tool I was using to rip the seams and start dripping blood everywhere, but that's beside the point. Bear with me, there is a point to this long monologue. 

As Christians we have many sisters and brothers in Christ, especially close to us are the ones in our church, or that we communicate with often, or most importantly, pray with. The bible tells us that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst! Don't feel like I am being crude when I say that we are like those stitches on the bra, close-knit, and very dependent on each other for our spiritual well-being whether we realize it or not. Sometimes to break us apart a "seam-ripper" will come along and pick us off one by one, the seam-ripper can be in the form of a backbiter (gossiper,) an unbeliever out to have a good time, or even hobbies that are great when in it's proper place.

We have an advantage because unlike actual stitches we have the ability to be restored. As brothers and sisters in Christ we should stick close to one another, praying for each other, and treating each other as we would treat a part of ourselves. So often it's not the "seam ripper" that tears us apart so much as us allowing ourselves to "loosen up" and leave room to be drawn away and cut.

So cherish those of like faith, they are the ones who understand what you are going through, and the ones who intercede for you. Once you're snatched away from your fellow-believers it's so easy to get swept up and thrown away and it may be hard to get back to your original place, but together we are a part of a useful and often beautiful creation.

Elisabeth