I have knitted several cocoons for some babies who will make their way into the world this spring. It has been such a pleasure weaving yarn together to create something beautiful. I love the process of knitting. It satisfies my artistic soul. Often as I work along, I stop to check the progress of my creation. I enjoy running my hand over the pattern, feeling the texture against my fingertips. The texture, after all, is part of the beauty.
“You knit me together . . .”
There is a portion of Scripture that talks about God crafting us. Psalms 139 (Read it here.) uses words like hem, knit, and wove when talking about creating us to be who we are. I like to think God felt the same pleasure I receive from knitting as He fashioned us. I can picture His excitement as He chose the pattern, picked out the materials, and began to cast on the stitches. I see the knits and purls that make up the surface. I see His hand as it gently touches the work He has done.
“and lay your hand upon me.”
There have been times when I thought God had surely made a mistake when He knitted a certain event into my life. I did not understand how such a twist in the stitches could ever produce anything good. I have been known to question Him at times. Well, if I’m truly honest, it’s less questioning and more arguing with Him about His ‘mistake’ and pleading with Him to fix it. Ugliness was all I could see in the moment, but God held to His pattern. Beauty would come later, He assured me. And sure enough, God was true to His word. As more rows of knits and purls were added, the pattern began to make sense, producing the beautiful result God had envisioned for me all along.
“My frame was not hidden from you . . .”
God knows what He is doing. When He chose the pattern for us, He also saw the end result. He sees the beginning and its finish and all parts in between of our lives. There are no secrets or surprises when it comes to His knowledge of us. He has searched us. He knows when we sleep and wake, our comings and goings. He knows our thoughts and what we’ll say. He is familiar with our ways. Nothing is hidden from Him. Verses 9-10 tell us—
“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
No matter what, God will not allow us to unravel. His expert hands will guide wherever we find ourselves. Even when we believe God has surely abandoned us, His hand holds us tight. He knows our frame and meets our needs right where we are. He knows us completely.
When I create something, I know where all the little imperfections exist, but they never take away from the beauty that others see. Our lives—the ones God knit together—they are the same. Let us praise God for the extraordinary work He has done. Let’s believe that the stitches and materials and pattern He chose are bringing the most beautiful results, the ones He intended for us from the beginning. And let us be sure to praise Him for His wonderful work.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works [that’s us] are wonderful. I know that well.
Psalm 139:14 comment added by author
About the Pattern
I found the original pattern for this sweet cocoon on Tinkerknits. I had to make a couple of changes to make the cocoon a little bit longer. Our family has big babies. To accommodate our little chunks and give the garment a longer-use life, I just added another repeat of the cable pattern before knitting the toe. Find the original pattern here.