Undone and redone.
My Grandmother was a bit of a genius with sewing, knitting and embroidery (somehow, I didn’t get that gene). One of my most vivid memories was going into her room to find a pile of mangled, tangled wool on the floor after her cat had been living its best life playing with the jumbo ball of wool that Grandma was using to knit some beanies. Much of what had been knitted had been undone and the wool had turned into a jumbled, twisted, matted pile of mess. The cat made a very quick exit, leaving the chaos it created behind. What had been undone needed to be redone. My Grandmother gathered up the tangled mess and began to patiently loosen the knots, tame the tangles, untwist the entwined loops, straighten the crinkled strands, and blend the frayed ends. The matted wool that looked like an impossible mess was undone and redone in her gifted hands. Finding the end of the wool, she began to carefully wind it around her fingers, drawing the twine close and creating a new, cohesive ball of wool. She was gentle, patient, and unwavering in her commitment. She did not express frustration or pull and yank the strands. Once the ball of wool was restored, she began to knit the piece again, creating three super cool beanies for her grandchildren, to keep us warm for the coming winter.
The enemy is somewhat like the cat, always on the hunt for victims, stalking those of us who belong to Jesus, poised and ready to maliciously pounce on our lives like a predatory feline who intentionally seeks out its prey and when no one is looking or the room is empty, it makes its move, aiming to unravel us through discouragement and disillusionment, knotting us up through heartache, taunting us through trauma, entangling us in the snare of suffering, trying to undo the strands of our lives. It hopes to leave us lifeless and in a messy pile on the spiritual floor. Don’t forget the career of this enemy is to steal, kill and destroy. BUT! Let’s not give this one too much attention because there is a far greater story of the true Hero who personally steps into the middle of our mess, restoring us and helping us to flourish in all seasons: JESUS! Jesus holds the original knitting needles of life. He was the one who knit us together in our mother’s womb and He knows how to best keep every strand of our existence woven into His finest garment. He has the original pattern and knits us according to His design. In Jesus we are undone and redone.
Jesus, the one true Lord holds all power and authority and is exalted and seated on the right-hand side of the Father, and He knits life together, and in His hands, we become His handiwork. He is our maker and the only one capable of gathering up our mattered, tangled strands, gently winding us in close, knitting us into a new garment by restoring us one stitch at a time to be exactly who He made us to be. Ephesians 2:4-10. The heart of Jesus is to bring life and life in abundance. John 10:10. But Jesus goes one better. He takes what He knits in us and joins us to what He knits in others, and we are clothed and connected as one unified garment as a grand work expressing Jesus together in God’s community and like our beanies kept us kids warm, so too the warmth of Christ is expressed to others as He holds all things together in His hands. In Jesus we are undone and redone.
So, friends, get your “redone” on today.
Best days to come.
Wen