“But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.”—1 John 1:9 (CEV)

Last week, I missed an opportunity to give away a Knit, Pray, Share gift. I was at the car dealership waiting for my car to be brought to me. A woman sitting near me shared that she had always wanted to knit. I asked where she lived thinking I could invite her to my weekly meet-up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t close to where we gather. I suggested a knitting shop closer to her home. I gave her my card and told her to email me if she needed more information.

As I was driving off, I thought, why didn’t you give her one of your gifts you had in your bag? You really blew it.  You could have been a blessing to her. … I beat myself up the whole car ride home. I was only a few blocks away when I had those thoughts. Why didn’t I turn  around and give her one of my gifts? I will tell you why. I listened to the lies of the enemy. I didn’t even think about going back because I was too busy focusing on me and berating myself about it.

I quickly asked God to forgive me for not being more sensitive to His nudges. I gave it to Him. I am forgiven. I wish I could say I didn’t think about the situation again, but I did…more than once, I had to remind myself, Lisa, you are forgiven. God will give you another chance. Let it go.

Satan wants to condemn us in the now what we did in the past.  He wanted me to dwell on my missed opportunity. He tries to shame us for what we did or didn’t do. Romans 8:1 tells us, So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. God wasn’t condemning me. He forgave me as soon as I gave it to Him. We are told in Lamentations 3:23, Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. We have to cling to His Word and not take the enemy’s bait to hang on to the offense

God gives all of us a fresh start every day. Thankfully this week, I was give two chances to bless people with a knit gift. Despite having an appointment for some routine lab work, there was a waiting room full of people. With only one person working, I knew I wouldn’t be seen at my designated time. I have no problem waiting because I use my idle time knitting. I could hear the phlebotomist apologizing to each person before me about the wait time. It wasn’t her fault. Walk-in clients need to be worked in with the others. When it was my turn to go, there was only one other person after me.

She was telling me she was sorry for the wait time, I told her to not worry about it. She did convey relief that after me she was finally caught up. I felt that nudge to give her a Knit, Pray, Share gift.  I sure as heck wasn’t going to ignore it this time! When she was cleaning up, I pulled out one of my gift card holders that had a Starbucks card in it. I let her know I knit gifts to give to people that make a difference in my day and wanted her to know I appreciated her. She was shocked but also moved by my act of kindness. I could see it in her facial expression as well as her words, Thank you. You made me day. No, you have made my week.

The second recipient of a gift, was a waitress. My husband and I were out-of-town this past weekend. At breakfast one morning, the young lady that waited on us was so sweet and friendly. So much, my husband even commented on it. After we went back to our hotel room, I retrieved a cute knit headband I had finished on the plane to deliver to her. When I went back to the restaurant, I let her know how much I appreciated her cheerful disposition as I gave her the gift. She seemed genuinely grateful.

When my husband and I went back for breakfast there a few days later, she was working. She came up to me to let me know how much my kind words meant to her She went on to tell me that it was her only job so she wants to be intentional on how she interacts with others. Every morning when she wakes up, she makes it a point to stay focused on having a positive attitude with her customers and how thankful she was that I noticed.

I know God is working in both the seen and unseen. He can be trusted with chance encounters because in His kingdom they are God orchestrated. God put me in the right places at the right time. He knew exactly when one of His children needed some encouragement. It really doesn’t take much to make someone’s day. What simple of act of kindness can you do this week to lift someone up to let them know they matter and God loves them?

I don’t want to have any regrets about what I should have or could have done. I will close with the lyrics from What If by Matthew West, What if today's the only day I got . I don't wanna waste it if it's my last shot … No regrets in the end. I wanna know I got no what ifs . I'm running till the road runs out. Lighting it up right here right now…

Father God,

Forgive me when I ignore opportunities to be a blessing to someone. Make me sensitive to Your nudges so that I don’t miss out on being obedient to You. Help me to leave behind condemnation when I have confessed my sin. 1 John 1:9 tells me that when I confess my sins to You that You can be trusted to forgive and take them away from me. I lift those up to You who struggle with accepting this truth. I thank You for renewing me each day. Continue to use me to share Your love with those around me. It is in Your Son’s precious name, Jesus, that I pray these things. Amen.

May Verse

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.”—Psalm 113:3 

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.