Stitch by Stitch

Knitting is one of my favorite things to do. Often when I am sitting, either at home or elsewhere, I work on my latest project.

When I start a new project, I first must decide what I am going to make. Once that decision is made, yarn is needed. It is fun to shop for just the right yarn to make the item. Depending on what I am knitting, a plain color or a multicolor yarn may be my choice. Then it is necessary to have the right size knitting needles.

Through the years, I have knitted, among other things, many baby items. For several years I knitted bootie and hat sets for a hospital auxiliary to give to newborn babies. Lately, I have chosen to knit fourteen-point, circular dishcloths. They are easy to make, colorful, and useful. Most of them I give away as gifts, but some I enjoy using myself.

Our Creator, I like to think, is the Master Knitter. He has selected each one of us as His project. We are the yarn that, strand by strand, He fashions to make a beautiful character as we yield to Him. Unlike the knitter who makes mistakes and must rip out stitches and knit them again, He never makes mistakes. More than once, however, He may take us over the same path of physical, mental, or emotional pain or loss before we learn the lessons He strives to teach us. Through it all, He promises never to leave us or forsake us.

Knitting needles are of no value without the knitter and the yarn. The Holy Spirit in union with the Master Knitter makes the project of preparing souls for God’s kingdom successful. He works on our hearts and minds, encouraging us to be like our Savior. Spending time with Him and submitting to His will day by day creates a pattern that is beautiful to behold, a Christian that not only talks the talk but walks the walk—a saint that is true to Him no matter what.

I want to submit to God’s plan for my life, don’t you? Each one of us can be a masterpiece for the kingdom as we allow our Creator and the Holy Spirit to knit our lives together, stitch by stitch.

Marian M. Hart-Gay