on the 5th day of Christmas . . .

          my True Love gave to me

FIIIIIIIVE   GOOOOL  DEN RINGS . . . . . .

5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which unfolds the story of man's fall from grace. Just think about that .... we have written record, that we can read over and over and over of our selfish selections despite God's grace and favor ... 5 books that record in detail all the bad choices that mankind made ... 5 books FULL of reasons for our True Love to turn His devotion elsewhere ... 5 books brimming with logical explanations as to why He should  love anyone BUT me ....

and yet, we also have 5 books FULL of Redemption's plan, implemented from the very 1st fall .... and consistently documented throughout  the remaining 61 books as well .... each one stating in their own unique penmanship, the Promise of His abiding faith, His undying love and devotion to each of His children.  In our society today we use the ring to symbolize such commitment ... Rings have no beginning and no End, and the Rings He chose to seal His wholehearted loyalty and dedication to each of us has been penned from before time ...and His Promise of an eternal commitment that brings us to Him despite our failings can be read .... can be tucked within our hearts so that any time we can be reminded of His allegiance ..... He's in it for the long haul ... not just when it's convenience for Him .... or me .... but ... forEVER!  (and then some!)

what if i could propose a profitable reason for swatching?  i know, it's hard to imagine, but i do believe i may have stumbled upon a justifiable reason to swatch . . . what about a special, one of a kind bracelet ...or do a "set" of 5 golden rings to share. Visit your local dollar store for a bangle  - - thick or thin ... or perhaps you have some left over from some of your "younger" days and wardrobe choices.

now you see the bottle . . .

. . now you don't!

 i'm not a fan of bangles because i don't like the clanking BUT would definitely be open to using this method with a plastic 2 liter soda bottle .....that's right! an empty plastic bottle could be THE perfectly quiet answer to your 5 golden rings ... and soft and gentle melody of gift giving .....

or, it all else fails, what about a pretty ltitle charm from the craft store or from a special antique boutique and use this i-cord option .... don't be afraid - you've finally got a reason to use those double pointed needles!  and look how soft and sweet ... quick and easy .... this option has the potential to be yet another 5 Gold Ring favorite!  (in fact, you may have so much fun with THIS version that you'll have a necklace before you know it! ... i just don't know the verse for necklaces ... just the 5 gold rings one!)

Did you know that the number 5 represents GRACE throughout the Bible? Grace means favor. But favor has many 'forms' ....  when  Favor is shown to those in misery it is called mercy; favor shared with the poor is called pity; favor given to the suffering is called compassion; when we show favor to the hard to love we call it patience: but favor shown to the unworthy is called  GRACE, and God Himself has set the greatest example of such favor and grace -- He willingly gave His one and only Son to YOU ... and if you think about that,     dwell on it,       just sit and realize that such a gift is favor indeed;  it is truly Divine in its source and in its character.  Man made a willfully bad decision in the very 1st book of the Bible that broke the design for a perfect existence and fellowship with the Father, and for the next 65 books, our True Love has revealed His Grace, lavished His Love and demonstrated His sincere desire to repair and restore a right relationship with Him.

"For sin shall not have dominion over you,
for you are not under law but under grace"
Romans 6:14

can i ask you something?

 When was the last time you Swatched?

they say confession is good for the soul, so just relax and tell me:  DO you Swatch .... sometimes?  never?  ALWAYS?     i wonder if there's a Personality Trait that's revealed by your answer? 

Okay, i'll go first.  My answer:  Sometimes ... but usually NOT!

i just JUMP RIGHT in ... start knitting ... and then try to make it WORK since i didn't take the time to swatch!  and for the most part that philosophy has served me well .... i mean, a scarf's a scarf .... right?  but sometimes a 'hat' might just turn into a 'beret' if my tension is too loose!   and a sweater could end up as a shrug if my calculations don't match the ball band!  so .....  i have to Let Go ... Rip Out ... and start over!

BUT that all-too-familiar Life Lesson we've come to call FROGGING happens ... and i rip it out ... only to begin again!  However, in my defense there HAVE BEEN actual times when i swatched and used the recommended needles and failed to achieve the suggested gauge .. so i had to modify needles .... lighting ... shoulder tension ... i've come to learn that starting over is just part of the process ... and doesn't mean that i can't knit .... or that i shouldn't try again .... i just have to release my current 'grip' and regroup ....

The last line in my devotional reading this morning: "Be prepared to let go of anything I take from you, but never let go of My hand!"
Ouch! and AAAhhhhh! all at the same time .....
Bottom line: With Him i'll NEVER be empty handed! Can you remember the last time you slipped your tiny little "daughter" hand into your earthly father's hand? the feelings of connection .. and safety and security despite whatever else was going on around you? the sense of pride and 'belonging' that came with those moments of bonding .... the Identity you took on beCAUSE of who's hand you were holding?
it's been more than a LONG time since i was young enough for those little girl days ... but the peace that comes from the obedience of slipping my hand into His is overwhelming. He never lets go - even though i often tug away in defiance (or ignorance!) .... He never holds me so tight that it hurts ... or so non-chalantly that i wonder if He cares. He leads me to green pastures, beside still waters, to the banquet table .. and ultimately, He's proud enough of me, thanks to His gift of redemption, to take me Home to meet His Father - - whom i can call mine!

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Ps. 129:23-24

So i have to ask .... am i a Swatch that He's pleased with?  Does the yarn of my life lay smoothly and consistently with His recommendations for the Needles that should knit my day together ..... or are the bumps and buckles indications of my impulsive choice to just hit the ground running .. knitting with my own ideas and without following His pattern!

it's okay to be a swatch . . .



Brave enough?

have you ever seen a pattern that you immediately fell in love with .... but upon looking at the instructions and contemplating all the steps it was going to take to finish it ... you decided to go a different route?  or, has there ever been a time when you jumped into something with a wild abandon and about midway through you just hit the wall because things weren't 'turning out' like the picture .....  yet?
do you - - CAN you - - talk yourself Out of knitting something before you ever put your hands on the needles to try it?  or do you have just enough Optimism to give it a go ... being fully prepared to rip it out in order to learn ... or who knows?  maybe even get it right without too many failed attempts?

do you think that your knitting is a reflection of your personality? obviously you're going to knit something in the colors that you love and make you smile ... and more than likely you will choose things that lean on the 'safe' side for those times of knitting when you need to be on auto-pilot and just sit and knit .... BUT are you content to knit scarves for the rest of your life in order to avoid learning something new .... like socks?  hats?  and heaven forbid - - a SWEATER?????   i have learned that when Fear takes over, my 'contentment' often stagnates .. and then knitting a safe "scarf" isn't really even fun [much less fulfilling] any more.

With that in mind i have to ask:  you know that we were created to have fellowship with God? .. to dwell in His Presence and enjoy the very Moment of NOW!  There is not a single verse in the Bible that says we are to Worry about things in the Future but rather Walk in the fullness and joy of knowing Him ... "Walk" is a Present Tense command not a futuristic possibility.  "Knowing Him" is a process that requires a commitment of learning and investing, daily.  Sometimes it means minute by minute, stitch by stitch of each day ... there may even be times when He has to rip something back so i can start over and get it right ... but does that stop me from investing my life in Him?  Am i playing it safe with my faith and simply sitting and knitting a scarf from each day, in order to avoid Him using me to ultimately be a Sweater ..... or what if His plans for me are to be a pair of socks?  Do i worry about how i will fit or do i try and dictate to Him that i'd prefer to be a hat?   Worrying about the finish can, and WILL, consume my attention and keep me from devoting myself fully to Him ....

Basically, it's kind of like worrying about putting all the pieces together while i'm still knitting a single sleeve.  Worrying doesn't make my knitting go faster - i still have to have 2 sleeves and a collar and ribbing for the buttons .... and more than likely it will bring about many more mistakes than i would like to see... which means i have to rip it back out again ... and go back to that place where my mind was focused on the stitch - - on the row - - on the moment!

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating

on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—

the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly;

things to praise, not things to curse.

Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized.

Do that, and God, who makes everything work together,

will work you into his most excellent harmonies.  

Phil. 4:8-9

Row by Row, Day by Day
He is Knitting my Heart to His!

Now - - each moment of the day can be viewed as a Swatch .. that He is perfecting and not simply wasting time on.  And each day can be seen as a strip .... a singular piece that can and will be combined to create a beautiful Blanket that reflects a journey of love and obedience and time well spent ........We live each day with the end in site ... and the Hope and Promise of an eternity with Him .... but each moment is and should be tempered and filled to overflowing with the Joy of Knowing Him ....  Knit on These Things!