Knit Together

That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love…Colossians 2:2

I visited a coffee shop recently and as I was enjoying a beverage with several members of my family, an eclectic gentleman entered, purchased a cup of coffee and sat down on a couch just slightly to my left. I noticed him when he first entered because of his unique garb. He was wearing dingy trousers, too short for him, but too long to not be considered pants; they just didn’t fit. His belt was a multi-colored crocheted chord, and the jacket was about three sizes too big. As he sat quietly by himself, he pulled out a ball of yarn and a crochet project that had already had quite a bit of work completed. My fascination with his project drove me to think about this verse (I had just read it moments before). What does it mean to be knit together in love?

Knitting and crocheting is nothing more than organized tangling of thread or yarn. For most of my life tangles were not a good thing, line, hose, or chain tangled together causes it to miss its main function, but this description of love is different. The knots and tangles are fastened by design. Chords not generally bound are twisted and looped together in such a way that losing the chord is difficult and would cause the twisted together chords to fail in their purpose.

How like us this picture is. We generally enjoy independence and often think we’re better off to preserve our unique characteristics separately. If we love someone, we submit to being looped in together with them. Our unique characteristics are not lost but become a complement to the new design. The lacework of the new design become the predominate feature and we function in harmony with those we love. Love requires submission. We submit to those we love, and we submit to the God who’s crafting his design through our love for one another.

This verse is specifically about the church and because of that we can apply it to our church very easily. We’re different in lots of ways but God is drawing us together to be looped intimately into each other’s lives. This essence of being knit together isn’t natural but it’s what God wants. How can you bless Jesus, the Creator by loving someone who’s different? Let’s get good at loving each other.

Prayer for today: Jesus, I love you! I want to demonstrate my love for you to others; a love you’ve lavished on me. Help me to love my brothers and sisters in the church in a way that truly honors you. Demonstrate your love through me. Amen.

Blessings,

Pastor Wes