Yesterday, Today, & Forever
I’m currently working on a crochet project. It is a project that requires me to follow the same pattern again and again to create duplicate items. It is important that the items are the same, but for some reason my results keep being different.
I’m using the same yarn. I’m using the same hook. I’m following the same steps. And yet, the objects I’m making are coming out different sizes.
I’ve crocheted for a long time, and still, my results are varied.
I remember when I first learned to crochet. I attended a baby shower where one of the ladies at church had made a beautiful blanket for the mom-to-be. I wondered if I could learn too, so I asked her if she’d be willing to teach me.
She agreed, and a friend and I started meeting with her before church on Wednesday nights. The first time we met, this woman gave us a book about crochet and a hook to get started. Our first project was a scarf. It is a relatively easy beginning as you just stitch rows and rows without any fancy twists and turns. And yet, you make so many mistakes while you are figuring it all out.
Learning to crochet is like learning a secret code. For instance, a pattern might say something like this:
Row 1 - CH 25
Row 2 - SC in second CH from hook, repeat to end, CH 2, turn
Row 3 - DC in third CH from hook, repeat to end, CH 1, turn
Row 4 - FLO SC in second CH from hook, skip next stitch, 5 DC in next stitch, skip next stitch, repeat to end of row
Anyhow, you get the idea. If you know what the abbreviations mean, you are good to go, but if you’ve never seen them before, you need to learn what they mean before you can start.
After I finished my scarf, I kept trying new things. I eventually made blankets, baby toys, hats, stuffed animals, and various other items. Even though it’s been close to 30 years since I picked up this craft, I still encounter patterns that include new terminology. This requires me to pause, find an explanation for what it means, and sometimes watch a video to really understand. And sometimes, even when I follow the pattern, things go awry.
This got me thinking about following Jesus. I think sometimes we want someone to give us a template to follow in hopes that if we do, we’ll always end up with the same results. If I pray this way, God will respond this way. If I read my Bible this way, the Holy Spirit will respond this way.
But the reality is that just isn’t the case.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for our journey with Jesus. Yes, there are practices like prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, community, etc., that we see in the Bible and that other followers of Jesus have practiced for centuries. These practices are good and beautiful, and they help us establish rhythms that anchor us to Jesus.
Sometimes, when we practice these rhythms, we see and hear God so clearly. Other times, God might be silent. This doesn’t mean we did something wrong or that the practice doesn’t work. We shouldn’t practice these rhythms to get God to respond to us in a formulaic way but so that we can continue to grow in our relationship with God.
Scripture teaches us that God is unchanging, faithful, loving, with us, outside of time, a rock, a mother’s embrace, a shelter in the storm, a still small voice, an anchor, a friend, and so much more. These things are always true. This is the formula we can hold onto. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can trust God’s faithfulness, withness, and love. These things are what anchor us in every season of life.
God is never really silent. We just have to remember what has already been said!
~ Melissa