Knitter’s Proverb

I’ve had a wonderful experience being a part of a group that knits Prayer Shawls for gifts to help encourage people or celebrate with them.  They’re just what the name implies, shawls full of prayers.  We’ve practiced learning to rely on God to make the connection of who the shawl is to go to.  We’ve discovered the gift of a shawl to someone else gives us new courage to reach out on a personal level  We’ve learned a profound lesson that God can use even such a simple skill.

Proverbs 31:10-31 The Message

“She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
    and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
    and brings back exotic surprises.
She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast
    for her family and organizing her day.
She looks over a field and buys it,
    then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
    rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
    is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She’s skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
    diligent in homemaking.”

The Knitter’s Proverb
That good woman is on my mind, Lord
This knitting of mine, these Prayer Shawls,
Have shown me hearts that long for warmth,
That need a tangible gift of your caring love,
And the blessing of your embrace in their lives.

There are long hours of knitting that only you see.
Yet they have told others the story of your love.
Those hours have praised & honored you.
This is the gift you’ve shared through my hands.

Somehow this time with yarn and needles
Seems to be a part of your plan for my life.
It is a special part of who I am becoming…
A good woman, too, wrapped in your blessing
With knitting needles and a ball of yarn.