I am in the midst of writing a knitter's devotional and this is one entry. I would love feedback.
When I read A Tale of Two Cities in high school, my English teacher explained that
Dickens portrayed Madame Defarge as a knitter to show that she was patient. She was willing to work and wait
for her plans of justice and bloodthirsty plans to come to fruition.
Knitting certainly does take patience. Projects take time
and effort to be completed well. Knitting can also help develop patience as we work slowly toward a goal. We learn over time to plan our projects, leaving ample time.
Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit listed in
Galatians 5, listed with joy, kindness and the others. It is also a characteristic of God. The Bible tells us:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished... Exodus 34: 6b - 7a
It has been suggested that people not pray for patience because then God will send trials to teach it. I think that it is good to pray for the fruits of the Spirit, including patience. God will teach us in the way that is best for us.
Patient and loving God, Teach us patience that we may be more like You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Has knitting helped you to learn patience?
I love that you recommend we not pray for patience as we might receive lessons to help us learn it. I am not a knitter, but I value patience and have prayed for it in the past. From now on I will take your advice and pray for the fruits of the Spirit instead.
ReplyDeleteDon't think that is exactly what I said... but praying for the fruitsw of the Spirit is a good thing!
DeleteI have never been able to learn how to knit. The best I could do was crochet. Lately I have been itching a bit to make an afghan. I may have to make it happen. I find, though, that when I have made something in the past, I just can't wait to get it done. One more stitch. One more row. It will be interesting to see if things change when I do the next one. So many times in my life I have been told I need to be more patient. I have never understood it, as I don't know how much more "patient" I could be in some cases. I haven't always been this way, but having to be patient many times when it was the last thing I wanted to be has taught me a lot.
ReplyDeleteSuch situations do teach us a lot. Hope the next project goes well!
DeleteI have knit, crocheted and done counted cross-stitch. I find knitting and crocheting to be relaxing. And I love the feeling of accomplishment when a project is finished. I have an unfinished baby blanket for a girl sitting on my closet shelf. I may have to get it down and finish it now.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your knitting devotional posts and am looking forward to the finished product.
Thanks, Heather!
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