The Unraveling

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I have watched my oldest daughter crochet.
She taught herself.
She is amazing.
I say that because it is true and not just because I am her mom.

She makes blankets and cuddly animals as baby gifts.
She makes hats, cozy scarves, headbands, and baby booties.
She has her own website with her designs.
I have absolutely no talent in this area at all.

I watched her counting rows when she was making a large blanket.
Especially when she is using various colors, she needs to be precise.
I remember when she worked on a particularly tricky pattern.
She realized, after a few rows were done, that she had miscounted.

She had to pull on the yarn to unravel the row.
I watched her pull one long strand.
The row, that she so meticulously crocheted, unraveled with ease.
There was not a hint of remorse; it had to be done.

Years ago, when we finished part of our basement, we had to carpet the floor.
We chose Berber carpet since it was appropriate for the space.
I remember the woman we worked with at the flooring place.
She had given us advice about that particular carpet.

Whenever you see a string in the carpet, do not pull it.
Berber carpet simply unravels, she said.
We never had an issue.
Until one day.

My husband and I were in the unfinished part of our basement.
We were moving something into the finished part.
Something caught on the carpet.
As we lifted, a long carpet string came with it.

It was so upsetting to see a line in the carpet where the string had been.
We actually bought a nice area rug to put over that spot.
It was at the bottom of the stairs, so the area rug did not look too conspicuous.
However, I know what is underneath the rug.

The woman from the flooring place was right.
Whenever you see a string, do not pull it.
She specifically meant a string in the carpet but I have used her advice for other things.
Do not pull a string on a piece of elastic, since it will just go round and round until the end.

It is so tempting to pull a string.
It is right there in front of us.
It is just begging to be pulled.
We do not consider the unraveling.

We hear the grumbling.
We hear the arguments that have lost their civility.
We hear the accusations.
We witness the unraveling.

Things are broken.
Nothing seems quite right.
No one seems to know who to blame.
Fingers point this way and that.

While the enemy of our souls laughs.
The enemy holds the string.
The enemy pulls this way and that.
The unraveling has been happening since the Garden.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,  but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

Those made in God’s image questioned.
Those who walked with Him in the Garden wanted to be like God.
Those who had clear directions from God, added a bit for emphasis.
Those who knew what God had said, did not believe His words were true.

The unraveling began.
The unraveling continues.
The unraveling can be overwhelming at times.
The unraveling screams so loudly.

But God.
God holds the string.
The enemy thinks he holds it, but it will only hang him like a noose.
The unraveling that the enemy began with his lies and his schemes will be reversed.

Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself! Is everything sad going to come untrue? (J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings)

That is the question we must ask.
Is everything sad going to come untrue?
The answer is, Yes!
The unraveling will be reversed.

When the Lord Jesus comes back, He will make everything new.
When the Lord Jesus comes back, He will make everything sad come untrue.
The unraveling will finally be reversed.
Amen.