It was the spring of 1948. A simple double-deck farmhouse dressed in weather-worn red, sat proudly on a plot of rich dirt. The green hills around it seemed to roll, and the house in their midst was used for hard workers – laborers who tilled, planted, and weren’t afraid to get their skin dirty. They had a plan. They understood a crop would rise up from their sweet-soil in a few months, because they lived by a law that had always stood trustworthy: you reap what you sow. “The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.” (Isaiah 28:26 NLT).
From farmhouse to a place of restoration and love.
It was the spring of 1948. A simple double-deck farmhouse dressed in weather-worn red, sat proudly on a plot of rich dirt. The green hills around it seemed to roll, and the house in their midst was used for hard workers – laborers who tilled, planted, and weren’t afraid to get their skin dirty. They had a plan. They understood a crop would rise up from their sweet-soil in a few months, because they lived by a law that had always stood trustworthy: you reap what you sow. “The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.” (Isaiah 28:26 NLT).
It is spring again, only now of 2013. And that house still stands proud. In fact, it is more beautiful and more purposed than it ever was. Of course, God knew what this house would be used for in sixty-five years’ time.
See, a woman who had a knack for interior design married a pastor in that same area. She was creative, resourceful and fervent in prayer. One prayer God listened to, was for a way to help restore a sense of comfort, self respect, dignity and even style to women in need of these things…women who were wounded to the core, spiritually lost, or physically abused including those who’d been sexually exploited for man’s perverted pleasure or financial gain. This prayer was one of many to please the Spirit.
In 2011, that little farmhouse began a journey of remodeling and was rededicated to ladies with backgrounds like this. Like them, it was given a new name, “Divine Threads”.
When a guest walks in, it’s not to reside, but to be refreshed there. She has an opportunity to see herself in a whole new light. She is offered outfits, many with the tag still attached, a new hairstyle, accessories, and shoes. Friendly conversation, Job-seeking skills, cooking tips, and possibly the most important of them all, emotional and spiritual support. Partnering with “Mending the Soul”, Divine Threads gives deeply hurting girls a valuable way to find healing that lasts.
The house came alive again that year. Donations gathered in piles on its steps. Contributions and volunteers were the sweet offering of its community. And it sits patiently waiting for more to bless. If you’re a woman who needs any of these services, and can also be referred to Divine Threads by an agency or organization (or perhaps you know someone who could?), they’re just waiting for you.
Sometimes I forget that the law of sowing and reaping is actually from God’s Word. Galatians 6:7-9:
“A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
A harvest is all around, and even inside the walls of this now shabby chic home. It’s in seed, sprout and full-bloom form. It’s in the lives of not just women knocking, but those who choose to continually answer the door, like that persistent pastor’s wife who, turns out, has a gift for seeing hidden potential & allowing beauty to burst from the most unsuspecting of places.
