“Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”—1 John 3:18

For the past few months, I have been working on finishing up my knitting devotion book for Harvest House Publishing. With all of the yarn in baskets and bags scattered around my house, you could could go yarn shopping. To me, my house has been in a disarray. 

For those that know me, I have a hard time living with an untidy house. I am “Type A,” so it was really hard for me to sit down and knit when I would look around and see dust bunnies in corners and dust on dressers and tables.

One of my phrases to focus on for 2018 was, “Be Still.” Do you know how hard that this been for me? However, I was able to let my house not be as clean as I would like and focus on the tasks that needed to get done. That is a big step for me….realizing, not having that clean house was okay because what I am doing is for God’s Kingdom and sometimes to have some success, there has to be a little bit of a mess.

You know what was revealed to me? My house really wasn’t that messy and God carved out the time for me to keep it clean enough to not cause me stress. God has been able use those piles of yarn to create patterns and projects for my book as well as gifts to bless other people.

Scripture is clear that I need to be witnessing to as many people as possible. Who would have thought that God would use knitting for me to do this? 1 John 3:18 goes along with September’s memory verse, Galatians 5:14 about how we need to be loving our neighbor as ourselves. 

As I knit and pray, I am filled up so that I can share not just the gift I made but also pour out His love to others. This is a way to show God’s truth through my actions.

Whatever your hobby is, whether it is knit, crochet, needlepoint, cross stitch…all are perfect opportunities to pray, listen to Christian music or podcasts while you work on your craft. You can use this time to fill yourself up so that you are able to bless others in your sphere of influence.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for giving me the ability to focus on what I need to get done to stay on track for both You and my family. I trust You to continue to guide me on how to finish projects You are clearly calling me to do and what people to bless with them. I ask for boldness to make a difference in my little corner of the world. I know that what I may view as a mess in my life that You can turn into a win for You. It is in the name of Jesus that pray these things. Amen.

How are you doing on this month’s memory verse? “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) Have you been tested this week to always be joyful or give thanks in all circumstances?

Please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtags #ThreadsWithRed and #KnitPrayShare be sure to attach a  tag to whatever gift you make.