who's in charge of the map?

new yarn .... perhaps new needles too ..... and a pattern that depicts the new stitch you are about to attempt as you embark on the journey of the new sweater .... goal:  to make YOUR sweater look like the one in the picture!  Odds of that happening?  Well, depending on the pattern writer AND your own personal ability to follow the pattern ..... well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Knitting world has developed several methods of pattern writing .... some prefer word instructions, i.e, knit 2, purl 2 to end of row.  Some knitters choose the convenience of a chart ....  row upon row of squares, each containing detailed instructions for each particular stitch, i.e., an empty square usually means knit on the Right Side and Purl on the Wrong side.  A  -  (dash) in a square is usually for a Purl stitch,  /  indicates K2tog and  \  would tell you to SSK.  (remember how we talked yesterday about decrease stitches and direction?  the symbol will help you remember which way to lean).  When you see a O in a square you know that you should add a Yarn Over at that particular point.  Charted knitting instructions come with a "key" to help you decipher things .. and the biggest perk of a chart is that for those who are visual learners, it allows you the ability to "see" the knitted pattern ... whereas, when you are following written words you may find that it's a "surprize" as the knitting flows off your needles ...  and you're are praying that your creation will look just like the one on the cover!

How grateful i am to know that my daily walk with the Lord doesn't have to be a scarey adventure of guessing my next step each time i turn around!  His Word promises to be a lamp for my feet and light for my path..... I can Trust in the Lord with all my heart and i don't have to lean on my own understanding (basically, that's like reminding me that i can sit and knit from His chart - and get perfect results every time!) .... (when) in all my ways i acknowledge Him, He will make my paths straight (prov. 3:5-6) His Word has provided me with instructions galore .. and He has even sent His Holy Spirit to be my personal guide, not to mention the multitudes of Godly friends and mentors,  pastors and leaders that He has called and equipped to help me on my journey ... to provide guidance and wisdom and prayer support ..... My pride and stubborn ways often lead me down paths that He never intended, yet He allows so that I can learn, yet again, that His ways are perfect and i can trust in His pattern for me.  

As a knitter i have found several knitting designers whose work i really like ... whose charts and/or written instructions are very accurate and therefore a pleasure to knit .....  how much more peace can i know if i'd simply follow His design and leadership as He continues to knit me together ... it's really Knit So Simple!

Ps. 25:4-5  Show me Your ways (Your pattern, chart),

                 O Lord, teach me your paths; (keys to the symbols of Your chart for my life)

                  guide me in Your truth and teach me,  (each row & stitch in Your design for me)

                  for YOU are God my Savior,

                  and my hope is in You all day long. (and in the end, i'll look just like The cover)

                               [the knitter's application to His pattern]

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.   (Heb 10:25 is encouraging us to Sit and Knit ..... what sweet fellowship time when we get together to compare all the "sweaters" of our lives and see how He is working to knit each of us together .....  

Hide and Seek

remember playing that simple little game for hours on end?  the goal, of course, was to have the Ultimate in hiding places so that as we were being sought we could scurry back to Base and escape being found ...  sometimes i find that i see God in that same lite and view my life with that same mentality - IF i hide then HE can't see me - - and i need to scamper back to home "base" while He OUT looking for me [nothing more attractive than a 50 year old with a 5 year old mentality!]

BUT, what IF i grew up just a bit and viewed this pursuit from a completely Different perspective, i.e. from HIS way of seeing things!  As i was reading this morning this sentence jumped out - - found by "He desires to be found by me, and He orchestrates the events of my life with that purpose in mind."  Perhaps i should see each day as a Huge game of Seek and FIND that i can play with my Father!  Ps. 145:20 says The Lord watches over ALL who love Him.  Deut. 4:29, 31 reminds me "but if from there you SEEK the Lord your God, you WILL FIND HIM if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul..... for the Lord your God is a merciful God:  He will NOT abandon or destroy you or forget the convenant with your forefathers."

The sign of a good knitter is when the yarn chosen is a perfect compliment for the pattern that is being created.  The needle size allows the yarn to flow freely - - not too tight so that the stitches are squished and scrunched together - - not to loose so that the overall appearance is floppy and free formed. Rather, each stitch sits nice and snug and appropriately .. and a beautiful pattern soon emerges so that you see a finished item/Big Picture rather than  a hodge podge of string screaming at you.  Today i'm praying that the row of my life that He chooses to work on will reflect the game of Seek and Find ... that i will be a yarn that is submissive to His direction and pattern reading ..... because i have sought Him and Found Him because i submitted with all my heart and soul.