There is nothing quite like completing a handmade craft to make me feel accomplished. Handiwork and time creates some of the most treasured gifts. I have found that each new adventure takes courage, instruction and a whole lot of patience, of which I often lack, yet I have learned to press through hoping the end result will be worthwhile.

Let me just say? not all of my projects have ended in a glorious accomplishment.

Recently, I have taken up the craft of Crochet. Maybe because it was something my own Momma enjoyed so I figured I would give it a try. Memories of her and my grandmother and other family members sitting in the same space, sharing stories and enjoying the time spent together. So, I joined a class where I can learn and also have the same great fellowship with some other great ladies.

Each project has brought different techniques, stitches and patterns to follow. I am finding that there is a lot of therapy in Crochet and a skein of yarn is a lot cheaper than other methods… besides, I can’t sit on the beach every day, so you do what you can right?

What started out as a beautiful project that I had worked on for over a month… took a turn for the worst. I managed to make a mess. Oh how I tried to fix it on my own, even came up with some shortcuts that might help –  camouflage my mistakes. After all, the colors and stitching were exactly how I had wanted. But the edges were jagged, uneven and getting worse with each row. I asked my friend  if I could just “fix it?” put some borders or tassels on the edges. Easy peasy fix right? Wrong!!!!!! It would require the unthinkable. Unraveling every stitch. Nothing was salvageable, except the encouragement from my friends. Priceless.

A teachable moment for this gal.

As I start to unravel the first row, I found it discouraging to say the least. By the second row? I listened my soul speak..and I continued to tug on the yarn.

We make messes of the things we want to be beautiful. We have our own plans of how things should turn out don’t we? Thinking we can do it all on our own, hard work and diligence pays off. There is no need to depend on anyone for help. Wrong. I continue to unravel another row.

Sometimes I put my hands to the plow when I should take more time to be idle for instruction. I knew the moment it all went wrong in this project, yet I continued. I can fix it on my own. Wrong again.

How many times have I pressed on when I should have been still. Wait for instruction. My intentions were good, but my end result were different.

Our lives get unraveled. It’s uncomfortable. It’s often unexpected. What I have learned from this mess whether in life or in yarn? It still has the potential to be something beautiful as long as I look toward the right direction for help. This yarn has been taken back to its original form. The beautiful colors did not change.

How often do we see ourselves, our colors remaining beautiful when we make a mess? We don’t. But He does. He sees our potential.

And there comes my favorite words again:

Hatikvah. – Hope.

Grace – newly given at the start of each day.

I wanted the easy way out.. to dress up my mess. Hide it. I didn’t want to start over. I had to regroup as I have often had to do in my little corner of the world.

Sometimes you have to make the hard choices. Start over. Become unraveled. Ask for help. Accept the Grace. And it is perfectly Okay.

As I chain the first new stitches, with my iPod playing in the background… I hear these lyrics…

 

You plead my cause

You right my wrongs

You break my chains

You overcome

You gave your life

To give me mine

You say that I am free

How can it be?

Coincidence? Absolutely not. I learn the most when I listen with my heart and not my ears.

Sometimes it just takes some yarn……I’m realizing that for Him to Bless my Mess… I have to become unraveled.

Isaiah 43:19

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.