Well, I've found over the years that our lives are pretty much woven with the "listen & wait; hear & do" times. It's really a steady process of drawing closer to the Lord. I mean, how can I hear if my mind is full of things of the world and that is myconsistent diet? Keeping my mind on "Kingdom" things, I know my day is headed in the right direction and will add to life's fabric rather detract from it.
I like to knit from time to time and it gives me a great picture of what the "fabric" of my life might look like. When I follow the pattern exactly and consistently knit stitch after stitch, the end is a stunning item to wear or give away. I am not an expert but sometimes I try to improvise; however, without the correct sizing or pattern to the piece, who knows what it can be used for? There are many tips and shortcuts that can be learned to add even more appeal to the piece being created. One that has proven invaluable to me is how to pick up a "dropped stitch" or correct a mistake in the pattern. The process takes skill and lots of patience but it well worth the effort.
First, the place of the defect must be located. Often this is a hole that is not part of the pattern or a spot where the pattern has been altered when it shouldn't have. Sometimes it is easy to pinpoint but others require investigation. This is often how our lives follow. We know there's a place that just isn't right but don't know how to fix it. Some evidence of this shows up in getting overly emotional or showing deep emotion in inappropriate situations, i.e. screaming when slighted*. These symptoms are temporary and often embarrassing but we don't know to change or eliminate them.
Short of going to a professional to discover your point of pain, there are two options: find an experienced prayer counselor or (duh!) ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. Most of the time these defective spots in our life's fabric require investigation and probing to be found. In our prayer class, we called it "the problem isn't the problem." For example, anger is not the problem but could be the symptom of a series of disappointments that have caused an abandonment of hope and joy. "Fixing" such an emotional pain is not easy but can be accomplished just like fixing the hole in a sweater.
To repair a knitting mistake the stitch column must be taken out slowly all the way down to the hole and then reworked manually with a crochet hook following the correct pattern back up to the present stitch. This may not seem difficult but there is much patience and attention given to each stitch being reworked. So it is with our emotional hurts and pain. Once we find them, we must let the tool of the Holy Spirit gently and patiently rework all the events that have been viewed as painful because of the original hurt.
Does it seem daunting for you? It would be without God's help and the result is well worth the trouble. If you think you are unable to hear from God for yourself, check with your pastor or online for someone who understands and prays using the Theophostic method of healing prayer. There is nothing spooky or weird about it but lets the Holy Spirit be the Helper he is meant to be in our lives. I have experienced this myself in being prayed for and in assisting others to find healing.
Don't wait to find healing because emotional pain is not healed by itself. We must encounter the Creator and Healer to be whole.
LADYING FOR APRIL 14: A piece of clothing created from a fine, beautiful fabric is awesome to behold and so it should be with our lives. When our defects are healed and God's example shows through us, we are irrestible.
*slight--I define this as, "A scratch to the ego that is (like a scab) picked at and begins to fester because it is never left alone to heal."
