God Knits

I just wanted to share something that God revealed to me in my quiet time this morning.
I've been studying some scriptures that talk about sanctification, and through that study I came across these verses, I'm sure you're familiar with them.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:5-8

In the past while reading these verses, I've always gone away with a mindset that I have to go and work really hard to possess these qualities. I've always focused more on the last verse, looking for the end result rather than studying the first verse for wisdom on how to get there.
Today God opened my eyes to see the very first part of this passage, where he says "make every effort to add to your faith..."
Meaning that it all starts with faith. So I started thinking about faith.
What is faith? It's the beginning and foundation and base of our whole belief system as Christians. It's what God gives us when He opens our eyes to the truth at the very beginning of our walk with Him. It's our understanding of our need for His grace, and our acknowledgment that He is sufficient to meet all of our needs, and trusting in His power to overcome every one of our sins.

Then as I thought more about this, God made me think of knitting needles and yarn.
I used to knit a lot (not very well, but I understand the concept).
When you begin knitting something, the first row of stitches you make are different than all the ones to follow. You have to know how to "cast on" your first stitches. This creates the base of your project so that you have something to work off of as you begin adding rows to whatever your making.
In thinking about the verses in 2 Peter, I realized that having faith is like 'casting on' your first row. If you don't have that base of faith, you can't add rows of goodness, knowledge, self-control, and so on. The stitches cannot be formed correctly unless you have that vital first row, which requires a different technique than the rest of the stitching.
Having faith initially is different than adding to it.
God gives faith, and you receive it. God also gives the Spirit, which enables you to add 'rows' to your spiritual walk.

I realized that a lot of the time, I look for shortcuts to complete my 'project'. And so often I've tried to stitch rows without using my faith-base. I see now how that can cause a walk with God to feel like it's falling apart.
I'm so thankful for this revelation today and I hope it helps you somehow, as well!
I hope hard-core knitters aren't upset with me for using unofficial knitting terminology, if I did.

Bye for now!
Chelsea

A Raging War and the Wind.

There I stood in the center of a raging war. I was completely unarmed except for the mask I so tightly held on to, as if it held some sort of significance. I held out the hope that it could at least be used as a means of defense. When in reality it was only a flimsy mask, useless on the battlefield. I only had it because they told me I should have it. All the other children in the war had one, too. Maybe we thought we could fool the enemy by pretending to be someone else. Looking back, it seems so silly, but at the time I had a lot of faith in that mask.
The enemy was surrounding us, we were overwhelmed. 
A fearsome beast came bounding toward me in a most vicious manner, and I braced myself.
I set my mask in place and stood my ground as I watched the beast approach.
As it closed in on me, the fear inside me grew. 
My stance masqueraded bravery, but I was faint with fear.
Finally I gave in. Who was I to fight a beast? The battlefield is no place for a child.
I crouched down in my desperate fear and waited for the wind.
The wind always came at just the right time and carried the beasts away, remarkably leaving me unharmed every time.
Finally, as the beast made it's final leap toward me, the wind came.
As always, it violently carried the enemy away from me, while only tickling me with the faintest breeze, and gently stripping my face of the mask.
I always wondered how something so strong could be so gentle at the same time.
I suppose it isn't something for a child to understand.
All I know is that I am weak, the mask is useless, and the wind is unseen but reliable and far stronger than the enemy.

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As children of God, every day we stand in the middle of a raging war. We are attacked by all sorts of evil. We struggle and try and push and give it all our might to stand against the enemy. The world tells us to wear a mask, it suggests that if we pretend to be something else, perhaps the struggle won't be so difficult. But in the end we crouch down in fear and wait for our help. Our strong, reliable help. We can't see Him with our eyes, but in our desperate need He never fails to show up in time.
He gently removes our masks, letting us know that we are accepted as we are.

(((In the story, the child was completely unarmed.
I want to state that it was written that way in order to emphasize our great need for God.
In reality, I'm truly grateful that God has indeed equipped us with the Holy Spirit and His Word to help us win our daily battles in life.)))

And praise God that the war has already been won!