“But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”—Matthew 6:3 (NLT)
In Matthew 6:3, Jesus is pointed out the religious leaders’ wrong motives. He was revealing the condition of their hearts when they gave. They were doing it to be recognized. It was performative giving. Helping others should not be for our own benefit but for others.
Giving shaped by Jesus’ love transforms us. I give away my knit gifts expecting nothing in return. I’ll be honest, as I have shared before, initially when I started Knit,Pray,Share, I was hoping for some kind of recognition and would get disappointed when I didn’t even get a thank you.
I have been knitting, praying and sharing gifts for nine years. Now, I am just glad when people accept what I give them. My current struggle is sharing about the gifts I give away to people.
Jesus tells us not to let our left hand know what the right hand is doing. My motives for talking or writing about it is to encourage others to do the same. It isn’t for self-promotion but hopefully to motivate others who knit or crochet to pray over what they make and share it with someone to let them know God loves them and they matter.
I know how intimidating it was for me when I first started this ministry. By telling others when and how I give away items, maybe it will help others not to be so fearful of stepping out of their comfort zone.
This past week when I was visiting my daughter, I was able to bless a young woman with one of my chemo headscarves that I had made. I have been carrying it around in my bag for at least 9 months, probably longer.
When I was knitting and praying over it, I had no idea who the recipient would be, but God knew. While I was shopping with my daughter at an antique mall, I spotted a mother with two young children who was wearing a pink headscarf. She reminded me of one of my friends who had gone through chemotherapy when she had two young children.
As I walked by her, I thought, I should give her the headscarf I have (which was also pink). I looked at my daughter and I said, I have a gift to give her. My daughter tucked herself in a corner while I walked back over to her and told her, I knit gifts to give away to people and I have this headscarf that I would like you to have. I pray over what I make and ask God to lead me to the person to bless with it and I feel like He wants you to have this. It is made from bamboo yarn, so it is super soft and moisture wicking.
She was definitely surprised when I approached her. I am sure when she left her house that morning, she wasn’t expecting a random stranger to gift her a knit headscarf. I have no idea what is going on in her life, but I have learned; when the Holy Spirit pricks my heart to give a gift away, I listen.
As my daughter and I were leaving the establishment, we saw a bulletin board on the wall that said, Have a prayer, put it here. There was a place for you to write out a prayer and to tack it on it. I said, we will have to come back here. I like to support Christian businesses. I also felt like that was a confirmation that I had been obedient in giving that gift away.
When I am giving in love, I am not seeking the spotlight. It is about serving God and helping others. Maybe along with it, I am planting the seeds of faith for those who don’t know Jesus who may receive one of my gifts.
Whether or not you knit or crochet and give gifts away, when the Holy Spirit nudges you to help or be kind to a stranger, you are making an impact in God’s kingdom.
I may never see the fruits of my labor and that is okay. I don’t need to. My reward was a full heart for giving something in the name of Jesus. Only Jesus can fill our hearts, not human accolades.
Father God,
Forgive me when I look for human recognition to fill me. Only You can fill my heart with peace and joy when I am serving with the right motives. I thank You for being able to use me as a vessel to share Your love with those who are struggling or may not know You. I am still amazed at how You have been able to use my hobby as a tool to share Jesus in my corner of the world. I lift up those who are letting a spirit of fear keep them from stepping outside of their comfort zone to serve You. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
March Verse
“Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away.”—1 Peter 1:3-4 (GNT)
If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.
