igli lessons from our Father

Well, today was the second day of knitting workshops with the ladies. Again, it was done in silence on my part, but it went well. I realized some things about God and His leading today that adds to what I learned the other day.


One lady in particular wasn't here on Tuesday, so it was her first time with knitting. Patience is the key, right? Dah (yes). I worked with her for much longer than any of the other ladies - showing her over and over again how to do the stitches. I would move her hands in the motions that knitting required, I would use my own yarn and needles as examples, and I would study her actions to make sure she was doing it correctly.


Unfortunately, she wasn't. Her child was sitting at the next table over (they do school for the kids while the moms sit together), and she kept glancing over while I was giving her instructions, which of course caused her to miss things and created more confusion. Because she was not receiving all of my instructions, frustration began to overtake her. She would do random things in between stitches, making the concept of knitting null in her actions.


After working with her for quite some time, I finally gave up so that I could move on to help other ladies. I felt terrible - as if I had decided for her that knitting just wasn't her thing. But, I also had to come to the conclusion that if she wasn't willing to work with me and sincerely try, then I needed to spend my time focused on the ladies who were seriously interested in learning how to knit. She would ask me to help her learn, but at the same time, her actions spoke completely different words to me. She sat at the table for the rest of the time merely "casting on" stitches (the first step of knitting, but nothing more than just yarn wrapped around the needle). In her mind, she was being successful in knitting, but in actuality, she was missing the whole concept.


As I moved on to helping other ladies, my mind wandered back to the blog post I made yesterday and the way in which God could teach me through this experience as well. Don't we have times when we want God to teach us, challenge us, and expand our abilities, yet we are so distracted by other things around us that we seem to tune Him out? Just like this lady kept watching her child (which, of course - her child is very important, but also in very capable hands at the time) while I gave instructions and attempt to teach her how to knit, sometimes we take our eyes off of God and put them onto other things instead of fixing them on the task at hand. Then, because we are distracted by other things around us, we begin to "go through the motions," doing what we think is God's will for us, missing what He was really wanting to get across to us.


God takes our lives, moves them in the motions that He has for us. He tells us to fix our eyes on Him - on His word, His face, and His will. Yet, for some reason, other things turn our heads and fix our eyes away from Him. Although I ultimately and regretfully gave up on teaching this particular lady how to knit, God is not so short on patience. His patience is a wide expansion of His love for us. He sits with us, holds our hands, and works with us through our struggles. When we become frustrated with what we're trying to do, He is ever strong for us. He gives us strength to make it.


So, today, please think about what God is patiently teaching you. Maybe He is silent in this lesson, guiding you with His hands on yours and His presence beside you. Maybe He has a friend acting as a translator in order to bring things to your attention that you weren't aware of before. Whatever the lesson may be, fix your eyes on Him, His word, and His will in your life right now. Difficulties come, but God is ever faithful to be patient with us.