Anyone who knows me knows I don’t sit still well. You might catch me for a little bit, but before long I think of something that needs to be done and am right back up. God knows this about me too. Of course He does, He created me. He is also working on me to rest in Him. For Lent, I felt called to read more devotions and to finish projects I had started but abandoned from lack of time. Ok, ok, God was telling me to stop procrastinating. I felt God telling me to slow down and savor more. So I did. Limiting my time on the computer and resting helped me to accomplish reading more devotions, finding that quiet (albeit most times interrupted by children, but that’s the time of my life right now) time to spend with the Lord, and even finishing a few books, two of which I had bought YEARS ago.
Another project I felt called to start is knitting a baby blanket for our new little boy. I had tried to start knitting a couple summers ago, buying yarn and needles. This past Christmas, my sisters and I went shopping and got specific in buying supplies for a baby blanket. I even bought a book on learning to knit that my sister recommended. Yet, there it all set, taunting me. “Look, I’m just another project you had the good intentions of doing.” My grandma had a saying, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” She believed in DOING not talking about it. Well, I had moved too far into the talking about it realm. God was calling me to DO something about at least one of these projects. I decided I would start by knitting the blanket. My youngest sister bought me a magnet to “inspire” me. It has a picture of a worm reading a book titled, “Anyone Can Knit.” The caption reads, “Leonard was hopeful.” This was me. You see, I am not a crafty person by nature. (See above, I tend to DO, which for me translates into, “I don’t have patience for perfection when it comes to crafts.”)
So, swallowing my impatience to be moving and letting myself make a few mistakes as I go, I am slowly knitting a blanket. As I knit, I listen – I listen to Bryan tell me about his day or other things on his mind; I listen to the kids tell me about their day or listen to them playing with each other. Not that I didn’t do these things before Lent, but I would usually be making dinner or paying bills or cleaning while they talked. Without the other distractions, I hear more of the nuances of how they are feeling. Of course, the other activities need to be done, but it is amazing how giving time to God actually seems to create more time in the day. Before Lent, I would have the intention of just sitting and reading – once I finished this, that or the other. Because of Lent, I forced myself to sit with the Lord first most days. On those days, I felt freer and more relaxed and accomplished MORE than on the days I rushed headstrong into MY plan for the day. Of course, I slipped up, I’m human, and I could tell as the day went on that something (Someone) was missing. Turning back to the Lord, giving my day over to Him, made all the difference. Not that stress disappeared or problems just magically solved themselves, but as the bible tells us, “For in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Without Him we flounder about, trying to find our way blindly. He is always right by us, though, waiting for us to turn to Him.
So as Lent ended and the Easter season began, did I rush back to the way things were? I won’t lie – I do find myself rushing around a little more, but I think I have learned a little better how incredibly important it is to “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). I am trying to make it a point to spend time with the Lord before I start my day. As for my baby blanket? I am really enjoying learning how to knit. For an expert, this blanket will be no masterpiece, but it is being done with love, and I *am* working on it a little every day. Hopefully, it will be done before our little boy has his own little boy! As the spring blooms and the weather warms, I will be trying to take the time to listen and really hear all that God wants me to hear – both from Him, my family, and those around me.
Dear Lord,
In the craziness of life, it is easy to let myself get caught in the whirlwind of my own plans instead of turning to You. I turn to You today. I give You this day. Please show me what You would have me do today.
I ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
