Hands On Part 1

Craft-y

I've never been crafty with my hands as my younger sister is. She is utterly awesome that she has made a business out of it. (Check out some of her work below or visit her website www.estherspalace.com. No apologies as I am just so proud of her.)

I wish I am as skillful as her but I haven't quite mastered the use of my hands or explored the wonders it can do.

Actually, I have done some exploration back in high school. We had to do a sewing project for our Home Ec class, but being one who can't construct anything out of nothing, much less a mass of threads and pieces of cloth, I pressured my mom into teaching me how to sew together an apron. (Uh-huh, pretty ambitious. An apron! Should have set my sights on a handkerchief and passed it on as a table napkin.)
As I looked at my teacher when she demonstrated to us how to cut out patterns and sew them up, I thought that it was kid's play. But when I tried it out myself, 'Boy! Muscle-wrestling!' My mom finally gave up on teaching me and finished the project herself.

My teacher wasn't impressed. She knew from the neat stitches that I had nothing to do with them. Well, you can't fool an expert from knowing the work of another expert. And that obviously wasn't me.

My mother is. She sewed dresses for me and my two sisters when we were young. My grand aunt, who raised my mom, was a wedding gown seamstress. She made many a-brides' dreams come true. My older sister is also quite cunning with her hands. I remembered how she used to make something beautiful out of scraps of cloth. And you should see her works of art. My little sister, of course, who I just mentioned, is a savvy crafter of beautiful, sweet things.

Now, that leaves me out, whose one serious stitching project was 16 years ago back in college, and from what I can remember, I couldn't wait to finish and be done with it. After it was done, I sort of promised to myself never to embark on another ordeal of that kind. Such back-breaking, eye-damaging work! That is why, I have so much respect for those who can sew and create beautiful things.

The only sewing I do is when my little girls' dresses' hems get unraveled, and since I cannot afford to buy new ones or sew a whole new dress, I have to do the job of pulling needle and thread and getting my eyes crossed in the process. From the groans and 'ouches' that you hear, you may think I am on to some really physical labor.

However, I am not giving up. I haven't given up the ball of yarn that my little sister sent (complete with a crocheting manual for beginners), hoping that I would catch on her excitement. Who knows? I may use that multi-colored yarn for its original purpose other than tying up presents when I don't have a ribbon. Yeah, it's quite handy for tying up balloons, for some science experiments and pretty enough to decorate an old jar. Come to think of it, I may be craft-y after all! *wink**wink*

Whatever it is that your hands have found to do, remember to thank God for the ability of doing it well. Being a mighty warrior, David, sang "Blessed be the Lord of my strength, who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight" (Psalm 144:1). He knew where his ability came from and where He could draw strength in times when He didn't feel like doing what He had to do. (More on 'doing what you don't feel like doing' next post.)

The Faithful One has promised: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way that you should go" (Isaiah 48:17). He is able and He enables. Praise the Lord!



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