Throw Open the Windows

 Hopefully the pace is beginning to slow a bit ... schedule's are relaxing and you may even find yourself brave enough to 'consider' trying something new .... i.e., learning to crochet!  No need to be afraid of the hook ... it's just a new and different twist on another form of crafting ... and further justification for buying more yarn and trying new things!

i can still remember when my vast knowledge of crocheting consisted of buying a new skein of yarn and simply knitting MILES of chain stitch .... and that was all!  i remember always wanting to buy that variegated yarn with bright and vibrant color changes and then chaining like a crazy woman, watching as the hues and intensities change over and over and over ... i wasn't smart enough to realize that it was all so very predictable and patterned .... i was continually shocked and amazed at just how "cool" it turned out ... and now that i think about it ... i'm still pretty easily entertained!

but the years have passed and my curiosity has peaked ... and
my bravery has overcome my fear of failure .. and i have actually ventured into the Land of Row 2 .....  life AFTER the chain!  and guess what?  it's not such a bad place ....

i have learned that the way i hold my yarn when i crochet actually helps me with my tension as a knitter ... i have learned that ripping out is hurting less because i am more anxious to get it RIGHT than simply just get it done!

i have learned that i CAN read a pattern - - whether written out or charted ... and i'm really smart when i want to be!

i have learned to appreciate, all the more, my grandmother's patience and skill .... i still am not a big fan of her yarn or color choices (and pray that my age doesn't EVER send me in that color palette range!) .... but considering the limited options and places to shop, much less the patterns that were available 30 years prior to today ....  i think i'll hold on to my current array of books and magazines so i'm NEVER relegated to knitting OR crocheting toilet paper covers or Barbie Doll dresses   (unless, of course, it matches one that i make for my grand daughter as well . . if i ever get one of those!) ......

so, until i get to be an official "GiGi" with loads of little ones sitting on the porch swing, eating ice cream with me ... i'm finding joy and delight in knitting .. and crocheting this month ... for little ones elsewhere ....

it's just so sweet .. and tiny .... and i can't WAIT to have a little one of my own to rock and hold and pray over .. and share Jesus Loves Me with them ..... to find all the little ways and wonders to remind them how precious they are in God's eyes ..... i long to be remembered as a woman with a heart for Him ....  so that when i whisper His name it doesn't catch people off guard, but seems as second nature as my knitting .......

i was reading in the book of Daniel this morning about Daniel's faithful walk and life ... and how despite the threat of death he refused to pray to any one OTHER than God ... and you know that verse that said he went up into his room and opened his window towards Jerusalem and continued in his habit of praying 3 times a day ..... well .... the whole "opened his window" thing has always been an enigma to me - i just never figured it to be a "guy thing" to want a breeze blowing through his curtains, sunshine falling over his fresh cut fruit sitting on the breakfast nook beside a copy of the daily news and freshly brewed cup of coffee .... but toDAY, i learned that opening his window was a visible sign, among the Jews that were captive there, that they were indeed Jews serving (and praying unapologetically) to their GOD, Yahweh .....   and while he most certainly could have prayed a more "personal" and closed window prayer ... Daniel was fully confident that his God was not threatened by any king's edict ... or lions den .... and he continued in his 'habit' despite who may have been watching because he rested in the knowledge that God would continue in HIS ... taking care of Daniel ....

serving the Lord ... opening the window .... reGARDless .....  i have to believe that Daniel was confident yet comfortable while in his room .... i believe he approached that window and threw it open with abandon!  i believe he was refreshed and renewed with the air that blew through .... infused with a peace that truly passed all the administrators and satraps understanding ..... perhaps a bit nervous when he first met those hungry lions .... but can you just imagine how bolstered his spirits were while waiting through the night .... lions sleeping at his feet, and fears assailed while sitting on the rock in anticipation of the king rolling the stone back and finding him still there ... probably humming a true praise chorus or two or twelve throughout the night ... maybe some bed head ... all mixed with a quiet infusion of security and humility that God IS faithful . . .

and what about those poor guys who had to hoist him up and look the king in the eyes, knowing full well that THEY were about to be breakfast for those lions!  yikes!

perhaps those satraps should have reconsidered their 'traditional' ways .....  just because everyone ELSE was doing it was NOT justification for continuance ... Daniel's life had, up to that point, been an exemplary one .... a life that consistently demonstrated that serving God was a choice that was sustainable and profitable, both inward AND outwardly ......  it required adjustments that perhaps were against what everyone ELSE may have done, but Daniel knew that his God was faithful ... and could rest on that assurance as he went about EVERY aspect of his day ...whether at home or at work ... God was abiding with him!

following the pattern may require fine tuning things according to individual circumstances ....  i crocheted both of those little shoes yesterday ... the 1st attempt (the larger one) was with the hook that was recommended .... and was supposed to fit a 6-12 month old ....  but when i finished it seemed to be better suited for a 6 - 12 YEAR old!!!  so i made adjustments, followed the pattern still, and by going down 2 hook sizes am now closer to a shoe for a baby rather than a grown man!  and isn't that just like God's provision and way .... He tweaks us as we go, always monitoring and adjusting ... re-orienting and reminding and reassuring in order to accomplish what is His good and perfect will for me .... sometimes ripping out and re-doing ....  in order to clarify and fit .... because He can and always WILL keep the end result in mind as He shapes and molds me to be a perfect fit for His kingdom!  custom tailored ... NOT mass produced!

Throw open the windows ......