Love is Fruitful

Love and Self-Control are like bookends. I heard Joyce Meyer say something like that in a Bible teaching series on Galatians 5:22-23, and I believe it. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (For clarification, this "fruit of the Spirit"  could also be called the evidence that you are a believer and follower of the Trinity: God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit as your daily helper.) There is a LOT to talk about there, but I really want to focus on just on those bookends today...

Love. We live in a world full of people that are different, and many are difficult to love. Even so, love is the only filter through which we can all exist together in harmony. When we love, we say to the other person, "You are not me, but I value who you are," and, "Even though I do not agree with you on all counts, I respect your rights to your own opinion." When we love, we take the time to think about why we are different, and how we can get along anyway. 

Love is not blind acceptance of another person's opinions, however. I believe that I can love you very well without believing that everything you say or do is correct. After all, I have loved my husband for 32 years, even though he consistently stacks the dishes in the sink incorrectly. Oh, I have heard the logic behind his method, and it is solid. Still wrong, but I understand where he is coming from. Is there any benefit to arguing this point when it comes up? Almost never, but of course I still do sometimes...and I love him.

Self-Control. All those "fruits"  in between the bookends - joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness -  are important too. But love is first, and to practice the middle-fruits, self-control is essential! I mean, when Sweetie stacks the dishes wrong, or hangs the TP upside-down, or makes a statement that I am not super-stoked about, self-control must come into the picture.

Without self-control I react poorly. Without self-control, I say things that I cannot unsay. Without self-control, I do things that I cannot undo. When I do not practice self-control (and at times, I do not), I express myself without regard to the other person's feelings, beliefs and experience. Self-control is necessary if we are to love well, because self-control keeps us from pulling the trigger on that word, or action, that will devalue someone else. When I do not value you, I express the antithesis of love, and this world certainly does not need more hate.

Love and Self-Control, working together, keep me from insisting that you have to be like me if we are going to get along. Love and self-control help me to appreciate who you are in this moment, and where you have come from. Love makes me want only the best for you, and self-control keeps me from trying to change you. If we all do our best to practice self-control long enough to find out if there is anything lovely in the people around us, the world would look different, would it not?

Let me wrap up by saying that I am not nearly as loving or self-controlled as I would like to be. If you ask Sweetie, I am sure he would agree that I need much more practice. I do better than I did decades ago, but I doubt that I will ever "arrive" at perfect Love or Self-Control, so I hope that you will have patience with me. 

In the same way, I know that there are no perfect people. Even when more of us strive to practice love and self-control, sometimes things seep in that make it difficult to love...seemingly impossible at times. To that I say, "Don't give up!" You may not be able to love everybody or change the whole world, but you have the power make your little corner of the world a little more pleasant for the people around you. 

Thanks for stopping by, friends. 

Now, go find someone to love well, and Knit in Good Health!

How Many Times?

As long as I have been a Christian, I have struggled with scripture. I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, and this is where I learn about who God is and who I can be. I read of God's promises to his people, most notably the promise of life eternal life with him, that are available through a relationship with him. 

Each time I read my Bible, I struggle with the fact that the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God could offer me such promises. After all, I am imperfect, irresponsible and inseparable from sin...how could the perfect God love the me that I know he knows I am? Yet I believe that he does.

I also struggle with God's guidelines for how I should live and love in light of His perfect love for me. The greatest commandment given to his people is to love God and love others (Matt 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27; John 13:34-35). And if God can love me, can forgive me, can welcome me into relationship with him, certainly I can do that for others, right? 

I know God has shared his love with me, and that I should freely share my love with others. It is easy with the people I like, the ones who are kind to me and who love me first. But just like a pre-schooler with a new toy, I don't often feel like sharing with someone who has snatched something out of my hand, or out of my life. 

"How many times should I forgive?," said Peter to Jesus in Matthew 18:21, and Jesus' answer was basically this: More times than you can count, silly! I get that, and I understand that forgiveness is all about my response, and not so much about the one who has "trespassed against" me (Matt 6:12). 

I know that if a person sins against me, and even if they continue to sin against me, it is my responsibility to forgive. Even where there is not repentance or remorse, even when I must remove that person from my life, I also must forgive. Some of the little sins are easy, but what about the big stuff?

What about a person who has really, really wronged me, or someone I love? I have been working hard to forgive a person like that for the past 3+ years. The words are easy enough to say, and there are things I can do to show my intent to forgive, but I wonder if I will ever actually feel like my forgiveness is complete? 

In February 2016, my brother-in-law shot and killed his sister and brother. On that night, my husband and his family lost three people, two to death and one to prison. To say the least, the entire family was devastated. Much of the family is still devastated. In addition to the loss of life, everyone in the family lost the sense of security and well-being that comes from knowing that your family's "got your back," because at least one member of this family clearly did not.

Despite the great loss, Sweetie and I are choosing daily to forgive this brother, and it is hard. It feels like more times than I can count already. Each time we have been in contact since that night, through letters, phone calls and visits, we forgive. Although we have not seen evidence of remorse or regret, we have continued to forgive and love this brother as we are able. Sometimes I think I cannot go on forgiving him, and I wonder why I even try.

Then I open my Bible again. I struggle with the fact that the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God could offer any of us such gifts as his love, mercy and grace. We are all imperfect, irresponsible and inseparable from sin...how could the perfect God love us? How could he love that brother-in-law in prison? Yet he does.

I will keep trying because I want my brother-in-law to know God's truth and to experience God's promises. I will keep loving and forgiving because, if I can love and forgive a murderer, the other offenses in my life should be relatively easy to overcome and forgive. I will keep on loving the unlovely because God loves me, one of the unloveliest people I know.

I suppose that I may never feel the forgiveness the way I want to, but I will keep working on it, for God so loved me that he gave his one and only Son that I would not perish but have eternal life through my belief in Him. (Paraphrase of John 3:16, as I understand it)

Is there anyone that you need to forgive, friends? Let's work on it together. Bring your knitting, it may take awhile.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Cat-urday!

Because sometimes there are not words. There is just #catonlap, and it is good. (There may or may not be knitting, as well!)

I hope your Sat...errr...Cat-urday is a good one.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

What a Ride!

There's a Christmas song that exclaims, "Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse, open sleigh!" I suppose that is pretty fun...although I have never been on such a ride. Mr. Pretty and I have been on many other rides, however, and we have had so much fun these past two weeks!

We have been on the Granddaughters Come for a Visit ride...which includes lots of playtime, outdoors and in...

...and knitting ALL THE THINGS the girls request!

We have been on the Full House ride, too. There is hardly a space left that has not been touched by tiny hands and toys everywhere...I love it!

We have been on the Birthday ride, which Pop Pop gave us a reason for!

And (maybe best of all this year) we have been to THE amusement park for all the thrill rides! Cedar Point is my happy place, as I went there every summer while I was growing up, and I have so many fond memories of fun, family, friends and fantastic thrills. More memories were made this year, for sure!

We got the girls on lots of fun rides, too!

What I learned, while watching them ride, is that it is sometimes easy to get a photos of your son and granddaughter on a round-and-round ride...

...and sometimes your very best round-and-round ride photo is a random kid in a green shirt (who is having a great time in car 9) instead of your daughter-in-law and granddaughter in car 12. lol!

The baby was easy to get photos of, and he had fun on the Mommy ride!

We even got Peanut on her first roller coaster, but I did not get a photo. I love pictures, you know that, but I do not love the prospect of losing my phone on a ride...sooooo no picture! But I did snap this one of both girls in line for the Tiki Twirl!

Cedar Point sure made for a fun day. We were all tired at the end, so it was time to head home to bed, but the girls got one last ride to the car!

All in all, this has been a great visit. We even got some new family photos, with all three cousins!

Wow! What a ride this visit has been, and so much fun! Today, the Colorado kids are on a plane home, so Pretty is a little sad, as per usual. But the girls have left me lists of their knitting requests, so at least I will have something to do while I wait for the next one.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!
I hope you are Knitting through your list in Good Health!

Woolapalooza 2019!

Woolapalooza beckons the knitters,

Every May we prove we are more than couch "sitters!"

Rain or sun, cold or hot, we're not sure of the weather

But even bad weather is better together!

A strong start to the day, look at us go!
As we enter the Great Lakes Fiber Show!

Once inside, we head for the best destination

Destination Yarn has the best yarn in the nation!

Her specials this year scream, "Let's have some fun!"

"Let's go to the fair(grounds), and play in the sun!"

There are selfies to take, and yarn to buy, too -

Even an occasional peek-a-boo!

Hahaha! I see you, Diana!

But all of the shopping gets us plum tuckered out,

And afternoon rain threatens to wash us out!

So we pack ourselves up, after one last pass through...

Did we buy all the things? I did, how 'bout you???

To finish my day, before I went home with my lot,

"A little off the top," was my initial thought

That's more than a little, it looks like a mop!

Now I am cool for summer, in my bright orange top.

Fresh hair and fresh yarn, so it's time to realax...right?

Okay, I relaxed, but just for one night...

On Sunday, you see, the kids breezed into town!

So there's been very little "just sitting around."

More about that next week, I promise you, friends.

Because right here and now, playtime never ends!

My couch and my heart are full, readers! We were able to all get together for a photo shoot just the other day, so here's a quick teaser. The rest of the story will have to wait until my house is a little quieter and my heart is a little sad. They are only in town for a short time, and there are many incomplete "orders" for my knitting needles from the 4-year-old!

I hope your week has been half as much fun as mine! Whatever is going on in your life right now, I pray that you have at least a few moments to stop and drink in all of the good things you can find.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!