Following
For several months I knitted blankets for children. I followed a simple pattern which, before long, I had committed to memory. Stitch after stitch, row after row the colorful blankets emerged – a peaceful rhythm.
Then a sweet little grandson made his appearance, and I began work on a baby sweater. I chose a soft, light yarn – just right for a baby but so difficult to work with. If I didn’t handle my work with care, the needles slipped right through, leaving me with an empty knitting needle and stitches to pick up.
Unlike the pattern for small blankets, this one ran on for several pages with much counting of stitches, keeping track of rows, decreasing for armholes and the crafting of buttonholes. Not to mention sewing the pieces together.
When I began, I made the mistake of reading through the pattern first. I felt discouraged before I even cast on the first stitch. It looked complicated and confusing. I felt I had bitten off more than I could chew!
However, I had invested in the yarn and decided I should give it a try. I read the first sentence, cast on the required amount of stitches and knitted the first row. I continued to work the pattern one step at a time and made a startling discovery. If I didn’t look ahead but instead just did the next thing the directions told me to do, it no longer seemed complicated or confusing. One small step at a time the little back of a baby sweater began to form. All I needed was enough trust in the one who had written the directions and designed the pattern to simply follow.
Our relationship with the Lord often looks a bit like my complicated knitting pattern. We tend to look down the length of days and years stretching into the future and worry about how everything will work out. We see problems and difficulties and wonder where it’s all leading. We try desperately to control the circumstances that trouble us and find we are helpless to make things go according to our plans.
It isn’t until we come to the place of simply trusting in the One who holds all of our tomorrows in His hands that we find what we are searching for. He sees what we cannot see and knows where He is taking us. All the Lord asks is that we allow Him to take control and lead us step by step. When we do, we find peace in the journey and purpose in even the most difficult of circumstances. What looks like a confusing pattern knits itself into a beautiful whole.
“The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.'” Psalm 32:8
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16
Blessings,
Linda
What a perfect analogy- I will remember this.
Oh Linda, what a powerful message about trusting in the One who holds us in His hands. Thank you so much!
I am sure the sweater is adorable.