Making It

Knit one, purl two. Or was it purl two and knit one? There was a time I really enjoyed knitting, but I should clarify, I did the lowest form of knitting possible. I also just realized I was doing it wrong. Yesterday I bought some knitting supplies. I’ve been wanting to have something to do to decompress other than scrolling on my phone. I knew there would be a learning curve because it’s been over a decade, but I was ready to learn again. Thanks to the wonderful world of Pinterest and YouTube, I’ve got ample resources.

My goal is to make a cute slouchy beanie. I’ve got the pattern, the yarn and the needles, but not the skill. Even the beginner pattern is over my head. Nevertheless, I’ve committed to try. There is a process to making something new. Trial and error, or in my case, error, and more error. Last night as I unraveled my failed efforts for the fourth time, I noticed I wasn’t actually frustrated.

As much as I really want a cute hat, the reality is I can buy one. In fact, I did just buy a few beanies for less than the supplies I purchased! So why put myself through the tedious handiwork? Joy. There is joy in the process. With each mistake, I learn. With each missed stitch, I grow. There is joy in the making.

I’m reminded that the Lord finds great joy in making all things new—including us. That’s hard to imagine. I know I would be so frustrated with each broken promise, failure, and missed mark, but not God. He’s present with us in the making. He offers love, strength, and joy to help us in the process. And the best part is He never gives up.

“And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.” (Isa. 64:8). Imagine the almighty Potter sitting at a wheel molding his masterpiece. With sweat, tears of joy, laughter, and an intense focus, he was molding love, with love, to be love that loves. It’s a process that takes great effort, but somehow, we are worth it to him.

After hours of knitting and unraveling last night, I finally rolled up my ball and put it away, but not for good. I will try again today. I am committed to the process. I woke up this morning with clarity and a deeper understanding of what I was doing wrong. I feel more confident today, but I know I will stumble and unravel many more times until the day I can reply to a compliment about my new hat and say, “Thanks, I made it!”

We forget that those who have, “Made it” also went through the making process. Too often we try to skip the process and jump to the end. We want the joy and satisfaction of the result without the journey. But the lasting joy of making it isn’t just the finished product. Joy is in the making because Jesus is in the making. He’s with us in the process.

I am reminded of the Israelites wandering in the desert, fixated on the destination, the promised land that would be flowing with milk and honey, that the goodness and beauty surrounding them was hard to see. The presence of the Lord was with them the entire journey, even in their disobedience, the complaining and infighting, the Lord was near and at work. Even though the first generation of desert wanderers would not live to see the promised land, they were creating and birthing a generation who would. The goodness of the promise and the joy in the making lasts far longer than our lives. What a profound concept. The process produces fruit that blesses and sustains not only us but those who come after us. It can produce joy and goodness to last for generations.

Each try and fail moment along the way, every knit or purl stitch that is unraveled and redone is an investment. More than just a new beanie, I am in the process of making a lot of things in my life right now, large, and small. Some efforts are begging to take a recognizable shape, while others resemble little more than chaos, but I am strengthened by the words of Jesus in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I am making all things new.” The Lord isn’t frustrated by our process or the time it takes to complete it. Because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we can find joy in the “making.”

Joyfully,