Quitting Time

if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. Job 11:14-15

I have recently heard a new term: Knit to Quit.  (before you crocheters hit the close button, the term as I heard it is ‘knit to quit’ but ‘crochet to quit’ is just as effective)

I first heard the term from my mother who had just read the book Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber.

I quickly did a google search and found several references to the phrase ‘Knit to Quit’ including a website by that name.

I learned to knit and to crochet as a child, but as I got older and into business and technology  I set the yarn aside.  I picked it back up when I started suffering chronic back pain.  I knit to change my focus, to help me quit thinking about the pain.  I have heard others say that as long as their hands are busy with yarn they don’t eat mindlessly. Many people have found benefits aside from yarn stashing and handmade clothing.

I am currently reading ‘Summer on Blossom Street’ and the ‘Knit to Quit’ class is attended by people wanting to quit something: smoking, a bad relationship, eating.

Some who have participated in my Knit and Crochet Bible Study say they use it to quit being busy. Knitting makes them sit and even relax.  I have a hard time just sitting  I have to have something in my hands, so by knitting and crochet I am relaxing, easing some of the pain, changing my focus, and being productive!

Some time ago there was a Canadian sitcom on one of my cable channels, Corner Gas.  It took place in a small town with a gas station and diner on the corner. In most episodes Emma would be knitting something. One day she commented to her son, Brent, that he drank too much coffee. He said he would quit coffee if she would quit knitting. I’lll spoil it for you and tell you at the end, neither one quit.

What challenge could be made to you to get you to quit knitting or crochet?

God wants us to quit something. He wants us to quit sinning. God also knows this is not something we can do alone. God loves us so much He offered up His own Son as a sacrifice to help us. We will never be sinless, no matter how hard we try, because we are human. We can seek forgiveness and follow His commands.

Have you ever found yourself driving the wrong direction and needed to make a U-Turn to get back on the right road. That is what we do when we repent, seeking forgiveness. It means to turn away from the sin, not back to it. So we must quit that sin.

Using our knit/crochet terms, that u-turn is like frogging a project. (Frog, think rip-it, rip-it, rip-it)   And just like frogging a project you have worked on for so long feels painful as you see each stitch ripped away as if it never existed, so we must frog our lives, rip out those problem parts of our lives and seek forgiveness.

Job 11:13-19   “Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him,  if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.  Life will be brighter than noonday,  and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,  and many will court your favor.  Our sins are frogged and gone. Once forgiven, God forgets. He doesn’t keep a tally of our wrongs. He keeps our names in the book of life. He who overcomes will, like then, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. Rev 3:5NIV

Why do you knit/crochet? What would you quit by knitting/crochet?

P.S.  I just thought of this as I ended the piece so I will add it here. This discussion has been on quitting something. There is something I’ like to encourage you to start. Pray. Pray while you are knitting. Pray silently, pray out loud; pray for the recipient of your project, pray for your needs. If you are not in a group setting, remember Christ is beside you and you have your own group setting. Now tell him, what do you want to quit; what do you need; what are you grateful for.

You can find  Summer on Blossom Streetâ at Amazon or other bookstores.