God is Bigger

There has been no great tragedy or struggle this week. Everything has run pretty smoothly. Praise God! But even if there had been something, even something big...God is always bigger.

God is bigger than a bread box, bigger than a car, bigger than a house, and bigger than anything going on in my little life. I am so thankful for that. There is a song, I think Bob sings it, Bob the tomato that is...the song is called God Is Bigger Than the Boogie Man, and I am thankful for this truth as well. After all, if God is bigger than the Boogie Man, he is bigger than anything I worry about.

He is also bigger than anything I celebrate. God is bigger than a fat paycheck, a new and exciting job opportunity, another birthday or even a brand-new car!

Life without God is small, moving from milestone to milestone, worrying that there may not be enough, or that you might not have enough...or that you may not be enough to get to the next marker. Whether you follow Jesus or not, we all have these same worries... But with God, we know that all things are possible.

That is not to say that you will not have struggles if you follow Jesus, or that you will have everything you want. However, what you will have, when you have a working relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit...what you will have is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. What you will have, even when you think you do not have enough money, or time, or stuff, is peace that passes understanding.

When you walk with the Lord, the one true God, what you will have is the blessed assurance that eventually, you win! You get to heaven, where you finally have enough of everything, all the time...where you no longer have to worry about what you should do, because all you want to do, all you have to do is praise God around the clock (if there are even clocks in heaven, but I choose to believe there are not).

When Heaven is the end game, this life looks different. I am free to love, free to give and free to be the masterpiece I was created to be. And I am free to dream.

The "blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords" (1 Timothy 6:15) is bigger than I can even imagine, so I choose to dream big. Praise God!

Oh, and God is even bigger than my yarn stash, which is something I seriously need to start controlling, but that is a story for another day. If you do not know God, today is as good a day as any to meet him. If you do know him, then perhaps you should also learn to knit. It is never too late for either one, as long as you are breathing. I promise.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (or learn to knit) in Good Health!

(Check these out: Matthew 19:26; Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 4:7; John 3:16)

Deployed Again

10 years ago, he had barely graduated from Boot Camp. 

Today he is on his way to deployment #3. The brightest colors in these scenes are always the children. The girls are happy to have their new "Daddy bears," but the separation will still be difficult. 

Today, I am praying for him, and for them, and resting in these promises:

God knit him together in my womb, and God's love for that boy is so great that it stretches higher than the heavens. I pray that my boy and his family will look to the Lord, even if a foot falters, because I know that His love is the source of comfort and support. God will be watching over them all their life, over their coming and going, both now and forevermore. (Ps. 139:13; 103:11; 94:18; 121:5-8)

This is not his first deployment, and it will not be his last. Today I am sad...and insanely proud...and full of love. Godspeed to my boy and all the soldiers who left with him. God's comfort to them and to their families during this and all separations. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Pushing Buttons

One of the fun things I do as a knitter, is playing with buttons. This is a small...no, tiny...no, miniscule sampling of my button stash...

What sweater, after all, is not better after the addition of the perfect button(s)? Exaaactly. For instance, I am working on two little sweaters...and they kindof match, and I would like the buttons to kindof match as well... Bugs? No, those are too big. Frogs? No, too green. Flowers? No. These are little boy sweaters. Cars? Maybe...are there any that are not yellow? No? Ok, not cars. Wait! There they are! Trains! One tan and one blue, just like the sweaters!

But I only have one of each, and the sweaters need 6 buttons apiece...so which of the plain buttons will go with the trains? Look at all these colors!!! (Reminds me of Tiddlywinks! Remember Tiddlywinks?)

Wait, no. I think I would like to go for a more subtle effect...what about these dark blue ones?

And these tan ones...yesssss!

That's the ticket! Now I just need the motivation to sew the things on, and boom! Baby sweaters, shower-ready!

I wish more decisions were as fun as choosing buttons. Unfortunately, most of my life decisions are more like choosing cat food: Wet or dry? Shreds or chunks? Frisky or frantic? Side note: Why are there so many choices for cat food? Ugh...

Still, as boring or difficult as the choices may be, I am glad that I am free to choose. I am thankful to live where I live, to have everything I need, and also that I have the time and resources to enjoy my favorite hobby. Above all, I am thankful that Jesus loves me, today and always, even if I choose the wrong buttons! (Lookout for the cats if I choose the wrong cat food, tho...whooooo, boy! Forgiveness is not in their wheelhouse!)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Messy, Messy, Messy

A few years ago, Miranda Lambert had a song out called Mama's Broken Heart. When it came on, I cranked the volume and sang at the top of my lungs. I think that was my crazy showing, because I get it...I have had my heart broken more than a couple times. But even though I sang loudly and with reckless abandon, I didn't want anyone to see or know the crazy like it truly plays out in my head. 

In my head, the crazy is a string of run-on sentences...things that could (but probably will not) happen...things I want to do...things I have to do...things I have forgotten to do...things I do not want to forget to do... The thoughts come with vivid pictures, often in amazing technicolor. If I am using a sharp knife, my mind's eye sees it slicing through my finger, blood everywhere, and I mentally run through the list of what I would do if that actually happened...things like that. Things to be hidden, for sure.

Eventually I started to realize that I wasn't doing anyone any favors by "hiding my crazy," or trying to. What I was really doing was working on a nervous breakdown. When the breakdown came, I took a break from the blog (and just about everything) until I felt more like I could keep it together a little better, even when I was falling apart.

I shared a little of that crazy with you in my Pre-Vacation Jitters post a couple weeks back because I now see that it is really not good to hold that all inside. Besides the nervous breakdown, pretending to have it all together does nothing for the world around you. People look at a smiling face (phony or not) and think, "I wish I had my life together like she/he does. My life is a mess!" I think that too! But the truth is, if we are true and honest with ourselves and with each other, that we are all a mess.

We come from messy families, and messy friendships, and messy jobs, and even messy churches. Things often do not go according to plan, and the older I get, the more trouble I have adjusting to the sudden, sharp shifts in direction. When I am on my game, I recognize this, and I take a moment...have a snack or a nap, take a walk, or some other kind of small break from the crazy. I just need some time to wrap my head around the new plan and change gears. 

When I am off my game, the crazy hits like a ton of bricks! I cry, I claw and I come apart, shouting to the heavens, "Really? Why me again?!?" When I am off my game, I cannot even recognize that I need to eat or sleep...I just go off. It is embarrassing. I get why Miranda's mama wanted her to hide it.

But in the quiet moments, the ones where I quiet my brain to hear the voice of God and revel in his mighty creation, those are the moments that I am reminded that He is in control...and I am not. This is a good thing, even if God allows things I do not understand. If I (and my crazy) were in control, everything would be a mess, because I am a mess. I am so thankful that God is for me, and that I can trust his promises, even when I cannot see where the road leads. Every day I remember that "I sought the Lord, and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears." (Ps 34:4) And every day He continues to deliver me, even when that deliverance involves a sharp turn in the road of my circumstances.

Today I am thankful for the quiet moments, and the calm that can be found all around me, if only I open my eyes. I am thankful for the simple pleasures of summer popsicles, and the astounding beauty of God's creation.

And I am thankful that you have stopped by, even (especially) in the middle of your mess. I am glad that you have taken a moment to quiet your soul, and reassure yourself that you are not alone. I am right there with you, and if misery loves company, lets get messy together. Maybe we can help each other out along the way.

Now, take another moment to breathe, and Knit in Good Health!