Proverbs 14:10
Amplified Bible (AMP)
10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.
Interesting thought. No other person can truly know our hurts as they collide with our sense of justice and powerlessness. The last part also bears up through experience: If you don’t know me then you can’t possibly know why I’m so excited about …. (you fill in the blank).
We know Proverbs 14:10 to be true. What sense can we make, then, of 2 Corinthians 1:1-5… a sharing of both trial and comfort? Is this a tension that works? Listen to a piece of The Power of Two Loops ( a talk I gave today at WayPoint Church).
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“We cannot meet every woman’s need, BUT individually we can do something for the woman right in front of us. Amen? We can pay attention. We can encourage her and show her something to praise God about. That is powerful.
We may also be able to connect the woman in front of us to other women who can minister to her specific needs. These points of connection begin to build a fabric of strength that warms our souls. James challenges us not just to say, “Be warm and well fed!” but to do something about it; meet real needs in a real way and in so doing, show our faith in God .Others will certainly experience the real power of Christ living in us when we engage this power of encouragement.
In order to build this crocheted fabric, this life, we need a few things.
First use TWO HANDS
You need one to be the “hooker”. Not the street walker skilled in using or taking advantage of people but the woman who is skilled at getting the attention of others. Some women are great at it and others just aren’t. That’s ok. We can still work together.
You need one to be the “tensioner”. Not the woman who makes everyone in the room uptight when she walks in, or the woman who is skilled at playing one woman against another or against several by a word here and a deed there. You need a woman who is unafraid to present alternatives respectfully.
We say of men that iron sharpens iron. Well, sisters, when we work with other women and sparks fly it is not always a bad thing. Sometimes we need another sister to hold us firmly and let us go when needed. A well regulated tension ensures a quality product; too loose and it looks dumpy, too tight and the pattern gets twisted. (A tightly crocheted project also develops inflammation issues inside wrists and fingers. That’s a bad thing.)
Tension is friction. Friction properly gauged produces a good stitch. Fabric is a series of well done stitches. When you feel the tension building with a sister in Christ, pray. It may be that God is working you both into a well done fabric. In fact, I’d bank on it.
Next you need TWO TOOLS (Actually you will need 4 – yarn, scissors, tapestry needle and hook– but these two are essentials) 1.) the yarn and 2.) the hook
The Yarn is your primary tool
There are two ways to approach working a skein of yarn; 1.) from the outside and 2.) from the inside.
Yarn that has begun the project from it’s outer end at best rolls away and when working with two colors, will make a very messed up tangle. Yarn begun its work having been pulled from the inside stays where you put it and is 95% tangle free. Tangles happen but we don’t need to make them worse;if you are spending your time disentangling your materials, or your relationships, precious project time is wasted.
Likewise, there are two ways to approach woman to woman working relationships; 1.) from the outside and 2.) from the inside. Working from the outside – appearances (surface sightings– what you see and specualte ) and airs (surface talk or gossip) — we get all tangled up.
Working from the inside builds confidence and increases the joy we share with each other – always alert to what matters to the heart of your work partner, what energizes her, know her strengths and weaknesses and come along side her to fill in those holes instead of exploiting them or running her over.
Both approaches can work in accomplishing a goal but working from the heart is less troublesome during the project and enjoys a better looking, stronger, and longer lasting result.
Today, If you are game to try it, we will be working with two skeins/ two colors as if they are one. As you work the different threads featuring one color and then the next, sometimes bringing both around together, keep this in mind: God always approaches us directly at our heart. He wants us to do the same with each other, speaking only what is needful for the progress of the heart.
The Hook.
Philippians 2:2
Amplified Bible (AMP)
2 Fill up and complete my joy by living in harmony and being of the same mind and one in purpose, having the same love, being in full accord and of one harmonious mind and intention.
The intention of the hook is to pull and place the threads. At first glance we see two opposing forces; the working yarn being held taught in one direction by the tensioner and the same yarn being wrapped over the hook and pulled in the opposite direction only to be rather permanently held away from the tensioner by the previous loop. That previous loop takes over the job of the tensioner and has nothing further to do with the hook.
Hooks come in a wide variety of sizes. There is, however, a correlation between the hook and the yarn…the sizes must be compatible. Not every yarn works with every hook. For example, a “0” steel hook works well with threads and lace weight materials but working a bulky, weight 6, carpet yarn with a “0” hook will only frustrate everyone. So here is one chart to give you and idea of hook/yarn compatibility….
In crochet, stitches are worked in two directions: Right side (forward) and Wrong Side (reverse) rows with a transition or turning chain between them. Sometimes rows are worked the same way and at other times they are worked differently. The forward rows become the side that everyone sees and the reverse rows become the hidden inside of the garment or project. This is a huge oversimplification but it works.
For those of you who have never tried to crochet before, working the foundation chain is easy peasy. It’s working the turning between rows that will challenge you. Wrong placement of the hook here can either increase or decrease your row’s stitch count. Where you begin the row will dictate the shape of the sides of your project.
Finish the last stitch, chain one and turn … everyone needs to work alone at some point – to get away…especially if a directional change is coming. Working together is essential and so is having that alone time. Jesus took time out to get off by himself and pray and it is healthy for us as we purpose to work together. Our mind is re-arranged and we prepare to accomplish the goal set before us. Readiness comes from peace; peace comes from God. Chain one, turn, breathe, begin the next row. Repeat. As you do, you are working to meet the needs of families, and communities with only the strength God Can give.
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No one welcomes the compounding of trial and stress by listening to the stresses and hurts of others but there is a key factor in this Corinthian sharing you should be aware of, “ …so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received.” Crochet is the perfect tactile representation of this foundational creed; Reach out to the people in front of you with the comfort Jesus gives you.
May he grant us the better looking, stronger, and longer lasting result.
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