Fabric of Our Lives
“Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7).
It never gets old for me. As I almost mindlessly repeat the stitch pattern called for in my knitting pattern, a fabric begins to form. Fabric with color and texture (in this case, soft and fluffy texture in a caramel/rust shade of brown). It’s tangible and real, something I can touch and hold. And all I had to do was repeat the same simple steps over and over until the fabric appeared and grew, like magic.
I think one reason why creative outlets like my chosen craft of knitting are healing for many people is because of this element—something tangible and undeniably real emerges from our efforts, something we can see and touch. Something that’s both the result of our work (I made that!) and something that we also somehow know we can’t really quite take credit for. We may have followed the directions, we might have taken the right steps, but the fact that something was actually created through those small efforts always feels like a profound gift.
Those of us who believe our ability to create is rooted in being made in the image of a creative God can say with confidence that it is.
Reflecting on ministry for the church, Paul writes, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7).
I hear in Paul’s words that same wonder I always feel when I create something—he and Apollos had followed God’s lead, taken certain steps, shared the good news, but the fact that something actually emerged from those efforts could only be attributed to the grace and power of God.
The God who makes things grow.
The work God is about—breathing resurrection into the world, restoring trust, creating communities of faith, purpose, and hope—could easily go unnoticed by us if we aren’t paying attention. In a world that values easily quantifiable results, these things can feel intangible and vague, not quite real.
But though faith may be grounded in confidence in things hoped for but still unseen (Hebrews 11:1), this does not mean that there are no tangible, real, and visible effects of the invisible work of God. Effects that are too many to count when we take the time to look for them.
The fabric God is weaving from our lives through the daily materials of our quiet walk with Christ is every bit as real as the gardens that grow from seeds or the fabric that grows from my knitting needles.
Lately, I remind myself of this when I feel the wonder of fabric unfolding under my hands through the simple process of knitting one stitch after the other. “We are God’s masterpiece” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). God is at work creating something just as tangible and real—more tangible and real—in the world and in our lives. Though the daily dance of our walk with the Spirit, the God who makes things grow is at work, weaving a masterpiece.
–Written by Monica La Rose. Used by permission from the author.
