I’m not a knitter.
Two years ago I told my daughter, “I don’t want to be a knitter. But I’d like to make baby hats for gifts.” Audri, an avid crafter, sent me a birthday package with everything I needed to knit baby hats, including a coupon for free knitting lessons via Skype.
Audri is a terrific instructor and the gift was a favorite. But soon I forgot I wasn’t a knitter. I knit Christmas stockings, toys, and hats
I had to remind myself I didn’t/don’t need something else to fill my time.
Knitting is fun, except when it’s not.
Not fun:
- When I drop a stitch.
- When the yarn is a huge, tangled mess.
- When I have to tink (knit backwards) and redo something.
- When neckwear doesn’t fit over my head.
- When I lose my place on a pattern.
- When I knit through time reserved for a priority.
During the past week I’ve been knitting. I encountered many not fun moments. The yarn was a hunk of knots. But knitting was the perfect activity while sick. It provided a sense of accomplishment while I coughed and rested. Thankfully loving family members took time to untangle my mess. (Thank you Randy and Karissa!)
As a non-knitter I’ve learned some things while knitting.
Routine knitting takes very little thought; it’s simply repetitive motion. But, at its’ worst or best depending on your perspective, knitting is challenging and complex. When problems are encountered, the knitter (or non-knitter if it’s me) needs to read the detail of the stitches to make corrections. During the undoing and redoing of stitches the intricate miracles of the woven fiber are revealed.
In my disappointment with the mess of my tangled yarn, I wondered that anything ever results from poking my sticks and looping my yarn. And yet, when I get an inside look at how knitting works, it’s amazing.
Isn’t life the same way?
When days flow smoothly, according to schedule, there’s a tendency to blindly miss the miracles: the treasure of relationships, the delight in efficient appliances and vehicles, and the comfort of a cough-free afternoon.
When weeks are filled with snarls we look closely, wish things were different, and often glimpse a fresh view of God’s handiwork.
God knits differently than I do. He is the Master. He doesn’t start a project and then set it aside. He doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t google search to see what to do next.
Every stitch of His project is placed with accuracy. Every loop that’s wrapped has purpose. When it looks like a mess to me, He’s faithfully stitching.
Does your life seem messed up? Look again.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.—Psalm 139:13-14, ESV
The Power of One Hour 