UNWOUND

Today one of the small children in our church stayed at our house since her grandmother who usually keeps her has the flu.

I was crocheting a hat and she became very interested in what I was doing. She is two years old and will be three in June.  She is quite intrigued with everything. As she intently watched me she reached for the hook and said, "My turn."

As I handed her the yarn and hook, she tried to move her small hands around in circles and held the thread with her tiny fingers. She then realized she needed a hoop so she made a circle and held onto it while holding the ball of thread in her other hand. She was delighted and when I asked her what she was making, she said, "A hat!"

After some time she became more interested with unrolling the ball all over the living room. There was a pile of yarn in one area and then the thread went around the recliner, across the treadmill and around the pool table, into another large pile of thread and around the kitchen chair. 

After some time she would stop and start saying, "Helpie! Helpie! Helpie!"

The yarn had become so entangled that she was stuck. I would walk across the room and roll the ball of thread up. Once again she would take the yarn from my hands and around the pool table she would go, then through the middle of the treadmill and around the recliner. This same event happened four times and four times she found herself stuck calling out for help.

Each time she called for help I would go to her side and roll all the yarn back into a nice neat ball. After I finished rolling it back she would look at me and say again, "My turn."

 

The last time she got into a jam, she handed the ball to me and said, "Your turn!"

As I removed the yarn from her hand and the crochet hook I began to finish the project I was working on. It was a blue and white hat for her. Once I finished crocheting the hat she became very excited as it was placed onto her head. She understood we had sat there and created this item especially for her.

As I watched the event of the morning unfold I realized this is what we do to the Lord. We are wanting to have control of the project and each time the Lord hands it over to us and watches, knowing that we are going to make a mess out of things.  He watches until we finally realize we are so unwound and wrapped up in things that it is impossible for us to get out or fix it by ourselves, so we call out, "Helpie! Helpie! Helpie!"

He comes and takes control of our lives and we say once again, "My turn!"

The Lord knows without a doubt what we are going to do but he continues to allow us to take it from him. He knows eventually we will realize that with the thread in our hands what he desires for our lives will not be produced.

Eventually we do realize our dilemma and place our lives into the Lord's hands.  He so gently cleans up the mess we have made and shapes our lives into what he desires for us to become.
 

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. » O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  (Psalm 138:7 - 8:14)