Dear reader, thank you for taking the time to be here today.
I do not know about you, but I am still holding on to the beauty and the victory of the special day of Easter. I had a quiet celebration due to bronchitis. I still had a full-on celebration in my heart and spirit. One thing about me is that I cannot keep my hands still even when I am sick. So, what did I do? As a part of my celebration, I built my collection of hanging crosses. I have a wire frame in the shape of the cross. I hand wrap each individual section with a thin stainless-steel wire. I work in small sections, so the wire is not too long and gets kink. I make sure all the ends are secured and tucked in, so it stays in place and there are no sharp spots. It takes me over an hour to complete one cross.
Some of the thoughts that came into my mind when creating was how it was not the nails that kept Jesus on the cross. It was his love for us. Jesus could have done miraculous things to keep himself away from the cross. He could have had the cross turned into dust right when he saw it. He could have pulled himself off the cross or called down an army of angels to fight with him. But he did not. Jesus chose to take the cruel punishment and stay on the cross. He did this to give us what we do not deserve, his grace. He loves us so much that he took on unspeakable torment, so we do not have to pay the high price of our sins.
The second thought I had while making these was of the actual Good Friday event, what happened to Jesus and what the images of the event would look like. The real cross that Jesus was put on certainly is an ugly sight. We certainly do not want to hang in our homes a replica of the real cross. That would never lift our spirits. When displaying a beautiful cross with out the image of Jesus, but instead beautiful artwork. It also occurred to me that God used this cross as a canvas. He does make beauty out of ashes, and this is the ultimate beauty out of ashes story. Over the stained cross he painted a new picture of his grace, mercy, everlasting love, salvation, and death being defeated because he rose out of the grave on Resurrection Day. Making artistic crosses like these is one way I like to display that message.
I am building a whole collection featuring different stones and colors. If one sells out, I will do my best to recreate it. I will keep the original picture up, just keep in mind that each one might be slightly different because of its handmade nature.
You can find the hanging cross collection here.
“And provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3
Blessings,
Sarah-The Blind Beader
