Knitted Together For A Purpose

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

Psalm 139:13

As many of you probably already know, I crochet.  I make BUBBAs (Butt Ugly But Big Afghans) and give them away.  Now....I considered learning to knit, but the thought of two pointy things in my hands brought mental images of the bodily harm I would most likely endure, so I stuck with crochet. When I am working on these BUBBAs there is already an image in mind of how I want it to look.  Carefully selecting the colors so they complement with enough contrast to illuminate the message.  I know how I HOPE it will turn out, but I am prone to errors.

Now when God knits us together, He has an image He in mind for us.....HIS image.  And God knits us together so carefully and lovingly that we are perfectly formed for the mission He has for us.  He coordinates every aspect of our lives to prepare us to fulfill His calling for us.  You see, we are here for a reason.  We are alive for a purpose.  We have a mission.

I've spoken with people who say "I wish I knew what my mission was." Or "I have no idea why I'm here."  I felt the same way, and some days I wonder if I am actually fulfilling God's mission for me or am I trying to do God's job.  The fact of the matter, each of us was perfectly created for the mission that is as unique and personal as each individual.  No two missions are the same. No two people are the same.  Even identical twins have their own uniqueness.  

Your mission might be to reach out to someone others have ignored.  Your mission might be to share your story so they realize they are not alone in their struggles.  Everyone has a mission! If you worry about what your mission might be, or wonder if you are fulfilling your mission, ask God to show you and then keep your eyes and ears open!  God LOVES to show us.  

What If?

Why am I anxious?
Why am I restless?
    I trust you!
And I will praise you again
    because you help me,
    and you are my God.

Psalm 42:11

 

"What if?" is a question I hear quite a lot.  Do we ask this because we want to be certain?  Or could it be that we are fearful of making a decision?  Or could it be that we are just bad at relying on the love of God for us? 

 

We like to have all the answers before we decide and we like to have all the pieces in place before we move.  You have probably heard the question, whether or not you have pondered it, "What would you do if you could not fail?"  Go ahead....ponder that for a moment.

 

Now...think of how much time and energy we waste by doubting and filling the air with "What If?" questions.  Have you ever heard the song "Blessed Assurance"?  God has promised us in Romans 8:28 that we cannot fail.  Granted, there will be times when the outcome will be much different than we expected, but God will not allow us to fail.  

 

What if I encourage someone and they bite my head off?  Do it anyway and let God deal with the other person.

 

What if I offer someone guidance from my own experience and they don't take it?  Do it anyway.  And let God do with it what He will with the other person.  

 

What if I reach out to someone and they reject my offer?  Do it anyway and let God deal with them.

 

I may have mentioned this before, and then again I may not have, I crochet afghans.  They are called BUBBAs (Butt Ugly But Big Afghans) and I give them away.  I crochet them while I have quiet time and when I am contemplating.  The very first one I made I gave to my Bride as a wedding gift 18 years ago.  She enjoyed it for a while and gave it to a lady who was starting her life over after spending time in SisterCare.  Now, either of them could have laughed and rejected the BUBBA.  But they didn't.  Over time, this has become a ministry project (with a Facebook Page too).  

 

When I came to the Sheriff's Department, I kept making them.  I was terrified to give away the first one.  People would think I was weird or something (and I am weird, so there).  One of our retired Deputies was in the hospital dying, I gave his wife the first one.  Last year when Sheriff Lott took his Oath of Office, this dear lady came up to me after the ceremony to thank me for that BUBBA and to let me know that she still finds comfort in it.

 

What if I had ignored God's prompting and not given that BUBBA away?  But God promised that He would make sure I did not fail, and He was absolutely right.  Here it is 11 years and some 50+ BUBBAs later and God is still proving Himself true to His Word!   

ME?

I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, 

“Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” 

I answered, “Here I am, send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

For the longest time I was convinced that nothing I did made a difference or could do any lasting good because I was just one person. And, after all, what can one person accomplish that has any sort of positive lasting impact on society. Looking back at my own life, regardless of what it might look like or what has been said, there were a few bright moments, but for the most part let's just say I was eager to leave the party.

My Grampa was one of those bright spots in my life.  During one visit, I remember sitting on the bumper of his car (1965 Ford Galaxy 500 that I wanted SO badly), and I was just numb.  Grampa came out, lit his pipe (as was his custom) and leaned against the car. And he said, "Ain't seen a face that long since the last time the mule ate saw briers. What hog ate your snake boy?"  So I told him that no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to make an impact on anyone.  Grampa's advice? "You're sleeping in the garage tonight boy!"

The next morning at 5am, Grampa came out and told me to get up because breakfast was ready.  I had never slept so little that I could remember....EVER!  On the way into the house, Grampa said: "Still think you don't make an impact on others?"  I mumbled something to the affirmative, and his response floored me like a right hook from a street fighter, "Mosquito wasn't looking to have an impact on anyone either. Mosquito just doin' what God made him to do.  But he impacted your sleep last night, eh?"  I remember looking into Grampa's face with my sleep deprived eyes and he got nose to nose with me and told me, "Ain't YOUR job to make a splash!  It's YOUR job to do what God tells you because all the water you trying to splash is His!"

And you know, I don't need a wall full of plaques and certificates to know that God uses even people as flawed as me to make a difference.  Don't believe it? Have you seen the faces of folks light up with something as small as a Tootsie Roll?  Have you seen people change when you let them know they are appreciated?  Have you heard the stomach of the homeless person stop rumbling because you gave your lunch to them?  It doesn't take a big splash to make a difference, it just takes a heart that is willing when God asks, "Who shall I send?"

And I have to put in this shameless plug.  My bride and I married in 1999.  I gave her my very first BUBBA (Butt Ugly Butt Big Afghan) that took over 2 months to make.  She thought I was weird and possibly certifiably missing a few of the more important synapses, but she accepted it graciously.  After we had been married a few months we sold gave a sofa to a lady who had come from SisterCare, my sweet bride took the BUBBA I had made for her and gave it to this lady.  I can tell you that they hugged and cried and prayed right there in our garage for almost half an hour.  All from a simple gesture of giving one ugly blanket away. AND my bride is now a HUGE part of the BUBBA Project whether she knows it or not.

Do you have an impact?  BEYOND A DOUBT!!!