CROCHET DOILIES
THE SPIRIT of the Sovereign LORD is on me. . .
To bestow
on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise
instead of a
spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:1, 3 NIV
Fingers flying, Grandma could weave
the crochet thread faster than any spider could spin a web. I was fascinated that what seemed to be a
thin string soon became a lace doily, reminiscent of the Victorian age. In answer to my plea to “please teach me,”
there were many tries, but my southpaw (being left-handed) always seemed to
frustrate both Grandma and me. I was
never very adept at maneuvering the crochet thread, thus chain-stitching was
about the limit of my crocheting.
Today, seeing a lace doily all starched and stiff, takes me back to a time when I felt secure to let someone wiser and more capable than me, use the thread to create beautiful lacework for the family to enjoy. What patience she had and how diligently she kept working even when the task took weeks. After my various tries, I would often pause by her rocker and watch her fingers work deftly. Then, I’d run off to play, content that the thread was in good hands, and happy to let Grandma take care of creating the masterpiece doily.
Heavenly
Insights
Sometimes I have trouble handling
the thread of life, too. My thread gets
tangled between my fingers. I know that
if left to me, life will only be mediocre (chain-stitch variety),
never the beautiful life that God wants me to live. At those times, I give Him the thread of my
life (my will), and leave it to the Creator to make something beautiful out of
it.
Rahab was a person who surrendered
her will, or shall we say, the thread of her life, to follow the God of Israel.
(Joshua 2:17-22). Up until that time
Rahab did not have a beautiful life. She
was struggling to manage the thread of her life and not doing a very good job
of it. The Scriptures tell us she was a
prostitute. But Rahab had heard about
the magnificent miracles that God had done for the Israelites, and she
believed. Because she believed and
feared the Lord God of Israel
God, indeed, created a masterpiece
from her life. The spies told her that
when the time came for them to take the land, she must have a scarlet thread
hanging from her window, so they could locate her and her family. They were faithful to their promise, and
because of Rahab’s faith, she and all of her family were saved. What a
beautiful life she had, for Rahab is one of four women that Matthew lists in
the genealogy of Jesus.
When we
surrender and let God create what He will with our lives, using the colorful
talents and personalities He has given to us, our lives will be a thing of
beauty, just like Grandma’s doily. The
significance of the beauty He creates in our lives will be handed down like a
godly heirloom for future generations.
Grandma’s
Pearls
o
We need God’s help in our
lives.
o
We need to surrender our
will (thread of life) to Him.
o
We seek God’s help
through prayer.
o
We seek God’s help
through His Word.
o
We seek God’s help by
choosing to trust Him.
Passing
on the Godly Heirloom
of
SURRENDERING OUR WILL
(THREAD)
OF OUR LIFE
Consider
your grandchild’s hand and wrist size, then choose a jar or vase with an
appropriate size opening. Put a small
ball, money or candy inside the jar.
Have your grandchild grasp the items, making a fist, then try to pull
their hand out. Tell them if they will
open their hand, they will be able to get their hand out, and may have every
thing in the jar or vase. Tell them that
God wants to give us many things too, but sometimes, we won’t surrender our
will to Him, thus we are stuck.
Encourage
your grandchild to create a prayer corner where they can talk to God. After talking about the various places, they
can claim for their “prayer closet”, then give them an item for their special
place. Sewing or gluing a pocket on a throw pillow makes a great place for them
to store a prayer notebook and pen. They
can use the throw pillow for kneeling
on, placing behind their back or whatever.
Some grandkids will choose treehouses, a special spot outside, and
teenagers may even choose the car as their prayer sanctuary. The important thing is that they are encouraged
to pray daily.
Choose
an appropriate activity and have your grandchild tell you how to do
something. A suggestion would be to
present your grandchild with a craft or model kit and ask them to tell you how
they think they should proceed without ever reading the instructions. Then have them read the directions aloud to
you to see how close they came to the true method. Most of the time, they will be slightly off
in what is expected. Another on hand
item in most households would be a cake mix.
Have them tell you without looking at the box how to make a cake. After they tell you, have them read the exact
amount of oil, water and eggs needed.
They will probably have missed some of the ingredients. Point out that in order for things to turn out
to be the best they can be, we have to read directions. God has provided us with His Word to help us
live our lives to the fullest.
Share a
time when you were scared to do something, but went ahead in spite of being
afraid. Ask your grandchild to share a
fearful time in their life. Discuss how
you can give
your fears to God, choosing to let Him take care of you. Talk about any present
fears you or they may have. Write those
fears on a slip of paper, and give them to the Lord by sealing them in an
envelope, or write them on a leaf and toss them on the wind.
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