The years hadn’t been good to the bin of Grammas’
thread I inherited after she died.
My husband wondered
why I would even bother trying to untangle them.
I hadn’t used them yet,
and they weren’t any use in the current state.
Through years of neglect and poor storage,
her spools became tangled, mangled threads.
I don’t use this type of thread often,
but I couldn’t bear to part with the treasures.
We began by lightly pulling the mass apart.
We tried to follow one loose end to the beginning,
unwinding, unknotting and carefully rewinding.
It took a lot of time.
It took a lot of patience.
It took a lot of work.
When we were done,
the last few remnants I own of my Gramma’s creative life,
were orderly and useful again.
There is such a relief to order,
to having tangled messes restored to usefulness.
Isn’t this what the Lord does to our lives?
He carefully helps us untangle the messes we have made,
through ignorance,
through unbelief,
through sin,
through pride
and through self-will.
If we struggle, the knots binding us will become tighter.
If we surrender to His tender tugs and pulls,
He can unbind,
unknot,
untangle,
untwist
and
restore the tangled, mangled mess of our lives.
Then, the rescued threads of our lives,
can be woven into something
useful,
helpful,
and
beautiful.
Is there a tangled mess you are hiding in some corner of your heart?
He knit you together in your Mother’s womb,
He certainly is capable of untangling the mess,
and re-knitting.
Just hold still in prayer,
cling to His Word,
and let Him begin tugging gently
on those stubborn knots,
one
at
a
time.
Jill, comments are great, but here is my personal email. [email protected] you blog? I would love to know more about your cancer story, especially since it is so fresh.
I'd love to keep in touch. Is via the comments here the best way to do it?
New Improved Comment-Praise the Lord, Nita, my talented sister-in-law. I knew all those hours of untangling knots were not for naught!
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Jill, thanks for introducing yourself; I would love to hear from you more since we have so much in common. I would be blessed if you shared any part of my blogs, feel free to quote as the Lord leads. I'm excited for your opportunity to share the Lord with others over crafts and coffee. What a great idea. I'd love to hear more about your cancer journey, as well. Let's stay in touch!
I used some of those threads! I can hardly believe you untangled them. Thank you! Tatting is the easy part.
I read your blog often, but never comment: does that make me a "lurker"? I hope not – it doesn't sound nice.I, too, have 6 children, teach the younger ones at home ( the older ones have finished with homeschooling) and last year had a brush with thyroid cancer. Different details from yours, but I can so relate to your experiences, especially of the Lord's faithfulness. Even here in New Zealand!Would you mind if I used your thoughts occasionally to share with a group of ladies who meet over coffee and craft at our church? Several of them do not know the Lord, but are always willing to listen to God's Word being shared and related to situations we all face, in the devotional time we have together.This post, about the tangled threads is just what so many need to hear.
Wonderful post. You are very patient. You have untangled a true treasure.
You have the ability and patience to see what the "tangled" can look like after submitting to the Lord… Wow, I can't believe you didn't throw that away all those years ago, but my what a beautiful picture of Christ it turned out to be.
I love Romans 8, it is my cancer chapter. I read it and still weep.
You are such a beautiful writer. I just loved this blog. I think I add a tangle every day to my mess. I am thankful the Lord Jesus never gives up on me. The girls and I just did a devotion together this morning that used Romans 8:39, "Nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God."