FAITH . . .

     EQUALS

Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for ... and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

I think that this could most certainly be a life verse for me as a knitter .... so often i have the Big Picture of the Finished Project, the recommended yarn and appropriate needles, good lighting, time to sit and knit and create ... but despite all the right 'conditions' i have no guarantee that what i attempt WILL match the picture. It most definitely requires Faith on my part to Begin the Knitting Journey .... to maintain the process despite the times that i don't understand exactly how 'what i am doing now' will actually result in my string and needles looking like The Picture!

However, with each stitch i attempt i find that before long a shape begins to form.... a pattern is established .. and i rest in knowing that i CAN follow the pattern ....  i'm not resting in my own abilities, per se, but am trusting that the journey will indeed result in the destination/sweater/scarf/hat i was planning for!  FAITH ....

Sitting and knitting is like that tiny mustard seed .... which can move mountains .... AND make sweaters; it results in many, many hours of relaxation and pleasure when i recall where i started, lessons i've learned along the way, times i've had to FROG a row or two or three .... and even the projects that have been completed and captured in my knitting scrapbook.

WithOUT FAITH it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists

and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

i can almost knit on auto-pilot most days because i have learned from things i've done along the way.  How much more should my every day life be lived, in fellowship with my Father, based on the journey He has created and mapped out for me.  The pattern of my life that He is knitting ....

*it had a beginning (50 years ago),

        *each day/stitch has a purpose as it builds on the past and is setting up for 

                   the next row of tomorrows that He has designed,

                        *and because of my Faith in Him i KNOW my life has a end ...

                                a "reward" in heaven to spend eternity with Him.  

If i can follow a pattern from a designer i've never met, then why don't i rest on the FAITH i have that my Heavenly Father can, will and does knit my every day into the most beautiful of cashmere creations .... learning to see things thru His eyes ....  i have 50 years of proof that when He knits it's going to be a one-of-a-kind perfect fit!

Confessions of a Knitting Snob

are YOU a snob? or are you a Scaredy Cat?  do you consider yourself an Afficiando of Fine Yarn .... or a Hoarder (you know they've got their TV show now!) ..... guess it's really a perspective thing when you get right down to it and yet, there really is a bottom line for all knitters:  what you do with your yarn is your own business, BUT unless we are sought out for our 'wisdom and counsel' we really shouldn't pass judgment how anyone else chooses to use their yarn.

Now, i know that's hard to do at times... acrylic is scratchy and pretty much stays right where you knit it ... no amount of blocking will ever transfrom it into the shape you WISH it was supposed to be!  [so WHY IN THE WORLD would anyone EVER use it!]   And that single skein of gorgeous cashmere will NEVER be enough to make a complete sweater despite the hours you spend pouring through the books for the perfect pattern.... so why even BUY it, i ask you?   I find myself guilty at times of 'judging' how someone else uses a particular yarn or pattern (like i think i could do any better) ....  and looking back on things, i realize that the time wasted in 'judging' took away from my own personal time for knitting and creating and enjoying the gift and process.

once again the parallel of my knitting to my own walk with the Lord is jumping out at me .... in my 50 years on earth i don't remember one time that the Lord has called in sick .... or posted notice that He would be out of the office on vacation ....and thus needed ME to take over for a while!  God has called me to fellowship, and have a relationship with Him .. one that is based on obedience and trust and REST in Him .... He is opting to be concerned about my well being, my daily plans and provisions .. and even my knitting time.  He has ordered my steps, longs to carry my burdens and really has no need for me to help Him maintain the schedule of the world.... however, when i do feel so compelled to chime in my own judgements and opinions i'm sure He just nods His head and simply waits for me to finish .... He is a gracious Father who clearly has an incredible sense of humor when He created me ....and based on the way my body is 'forming' now at 50, He clearly is mastering His purl stitches more so than His knit ones  [ who KNEW skin could DO such a thing!]  He LONGS for me to find rest in Him .... that's why He's God ... and i'm NOT!   Resting in Him is not something that He designed to be hard to do .... I am the one that makes the KNOTS in the skeins of time He has given me!

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me.

Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.     

 (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)

But who are you, o man, to talk back to God? 

Shall what is formed say to Him who formed  it, "why did You make me like this? 

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery

for noble purposes and some for common use? 

(Rom 9:20-21)

So, take your yarn ... make a sweater!  knit a hat ... a washcloth - - or simply a swatch!  Why not frame that sumptuous skein of silk - it IS a work of art in and of itself, is it not!  it's Your stash  ....  don't judge it ... enJOY it!

Yarn = Yoga

healing ... therapy .... and FREE! 

Effective October 1st the cost of my medical insurance is being raised (imagine That!) ..... AND the cost of my deductible will now be $30 rather than $20.  Now, i realize that in the big scheme of things that i am blessed beyond measure to even HAVE insurance ... and that further blessings come from having a JOB every single day that provides me with enough 'options' that i can even complain or whine about things ....

BUT .... seems to me that i should have the RIGHT to spend my co-pay on Therapy in a better way ... and still be re-imbursed for it!  For you see, i have found that as a knitter, there's nothing more soothing and restoring than Yarn Therapy!  Some days that may mean just having the TIME to roam aimlessly in the yarn shop, looking at all the rows and baskets and displays of yarn and projects completed in such sumptuous colors and textures.  Then, there are also times when i find my blood pressure lowering and my overall mood transforming when i have the privilege of just Sitting ... and holding a Ball of Yarn in my hands.  My sensory 'healing' begins once that cashmere or silk, or on a bad day just good ol' acrylic, makes contact with my fingers, which then signals my brain to dwell on the steady and consistent 'process' of knitting, one stitch at a time, one row at a time, back and forth, back and forth ..... perhaps this is the Yoga of Yarn ....

$20 can buy a really NICE skein of sock yarn and within a week i actually have something tangible to SHOW for my time of therapy ..... so why can't i submit my yarn receipts along with my other prescriptions for tax breaks and consideration, i ask you?  And the bliss - the giddiness - of finding a dream yarn ON SALE - - a Wonder Drug in and of itself, i tell you!  Knitting ......  such a simple pleasure, that's easily transported and can be whipped out for ANY medical emergency!  It's the ideal "insurance card" and "preventative" medicine there is ... i never leave home without it!

BUT ..... if knitting has such calming effects of restoration, how much MORE am i reminded of the promises of the Lord when it comes to True Insurance ... with No Co-Pays or out of pocket expenses (at least on my part!)  I run and grab my knitting to help "settle" things at times ... but how much MORE peace can i find and know when i run to Him.  His desire and Promise is to NEVER leave me ... to be with me ALWAYS .. not just at His convenience or when there's a break in His schedule ..... But with Every Breath i Take ... He fills it!  And His Word is like a Yarn Shop of luxurious Promises ... verse after verse of rich, cashmere-ish accounts of His availability ..... Chapter upon Chapter of extravagant examples of His steadfast love that wraps around me like a lush merino wool stole ..... authors who have witnessed and now share from 1st hand experience the authenticity of God's peace ... not something to dream of ... but Someone to make my dreams come true!  The Healer!

Matt: 28:20 ... and surely I AM with you always, to the very end of the age.
Gen. 28:15    I AM with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back
                     to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
Isa. 54:10    Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you
                    will NOT be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has
                    compassion on you.
John 14:27   I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the
                    world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.

Just a few of the rich choices He has left for me to browse through - - to be able to touch and feel and knit into the very fibers of my being .... O taste and SEE that the the Lord is good!  Christ Jesus IS my co-pay!   His death and resurrection has paid for my eternity ... and for the peace that passes all understanding .... now THAT's the ultimate insurance!  But like any beautiful skein of yarn, unless i accept it .... use it .... apply it to the needles of my every day, His peace does me no good simply left on the shelf or in the "basket" of my Bible.  His love longs to be USED by me .... and He assures me that when i finish allowing Him to infuse me ... i'll have the perfect fit!  He IS my pattern .. and my peace!

Do these jeans make me look fat?

what WAS i thinking?  even
this skinny model
looks thick!  ???

yesterday was Labor Day, with sales galore ... but i just couldn't bring myself to shop because i am not real happy with my size and shape these days ... and rather than buy new clothes that would probably be more flattering because they'd fit properly, i'm opting for the denial method when getting dressed in the morning ... i'm going to start my diet .... tomorrow!  i don't dare ask if my jeans make my behind look big - - i just might get a truthful answer!  and i've recently donated a sweater that i knit because i looked like the Michelin Man ... but then again, when you knit with BULKY yarn it's hard to expect Bulky and Flattering to EVER be found in the same sentence .. much less the same body!!! (what WAS i thinking!) .....

however, as i was reading this morning in Isaiah i think i may have found the perfect solution to my current clothing quandry .... a true and sincere approach to Life that everyone notices because it's the Perfect Fit .... when was the last time you tried Grace on for size?

Isa: 61:10    "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.  For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridgroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

So,  my FIRST Point to Ponder:  when was the last time you saw an ugly bride?  There's something about that wedding day that seems to infuse everyone's perspective with a vision of loveliness, a glow of hope - you see a completed picture when she approaches.  i can't remember, in all the years of weddings i have played for, thinking 'oh dear, that dress makes her hips look big!' ... or 'really? what was she thinking - - that style doesn't flatter her at all!'  ....  NEVER!!!!  And Isaiah reminds us that when God sees us as His children He views us as His Bride ... adorned with the perfect fitting garment of salvation (who knew i'd look good in red) and wrapped with a robe of righteousness (He knew that the shade of 'righteous white' was a tone that would highlight my eyes - since they are a reflection of His now ..)

Point TWO to Ponder:  there is NO room in my wardrobe for my old way of dressing .... the color of "guilt" is not a becoming one for me!  Rom: 8:1-2 reiterates that point  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."   Guilt from my past has a way of making my shoulders slump - - and i carry myself with a lack of confidence.  Guilt also brings out the bags under my eyes from the sleepless nights of arguing and wrestling and basically telling God that i don't believe He should and would love me because of my past!  Yea ... not a flattering color/look for sure!
Rom. 7:6  lays it out for me rather clearly .... "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law ... so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."

Looks like i'll be cleaning out my closet today ... no need to shop a weekend sale ....  I have been bought with a Price.... He believes that i clean up 'real good' ... when my Father sees me, He sees the tone of Grace and Forgiveness, both of which make my skin glow - - and there's nothing prettier than a woman who's eyes reflect the radiance of her heart!  Ps 139:13 says it perfectly:  He knit me together in my mother's womb!  (and i do believe He used silk and cashmere - despite the times that Satan tries to convince me that He opted for uncomplimentary Bulky yarn!)

*and the only size tag that will ever show is the one that says ....Perfect!
*and the only price tag will be marked ... BOUGHT WITH A PRICE ... PAID IN FULL!  (He didn't wait for me to go on clearance ... and He never sees me as one sitting on the 'damaged goods' rack!)