Knit

From Proverbs 31 (The Message)

A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.

She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.

She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.

She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.

First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.

She senses the worth of her work...

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.

Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:

"Many women have done wonderful things,
but you've outclassed them all!"

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.

Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!

My wife loves to knit. She really, truly does. I can only imagine that she must love this Proverb about knitters.

I don't know anything about knitting. Well...I know a tiny bit that I've been able to decipher when she tries to share with me about it, but mostly it's like hearing someone speak a foreign language.

I have no idea how it works. To me, it looks like she systematically ties knots in yarn, and then at the end, it comes out as a baby sweater, or a blanket, or socks, or any number of other things, all of them really useful items that will be adored for a long, long time by the lucky people who receive them.

I think she loves knitting because it perfectly fits with who she is. It's useful and productive. It's artistic, and it's a skill that can grow and be continually refined and challenged over time.

Whether I can tell what's happening with all that yarn or not...she "senses the worth of her work."

And that sense can grow, and it pervades every part her life. It can do the same for all of us, knitters and non-knitters alike.

Proverbs 31 reminds us how good it is to get up before dawn. How lucky we are when we rise with a sense of purpose...to go out and "find the best yarn," to produce something of value.

It's how God has made us, and thank God for the women in our lives who show the way.

Grace & Peace,
Adam