For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. – I Cor 3:11
A good foundation will hold firm whether it is our knitted project or our Christian faith.
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the
streams rose, the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash. – Matt 7:24-27
The foundation is the base upon which any project will stand. You can make the most
beautiful of stitches and a pattern that is intricate but if the foundation row is not secure the entire item will ravel at the first sign of wear.
Do you remember the song we used to sing in Sunday School? It went like this. (By the way, it‟s OK if you sing along.)
A wise man built his house upon the rock,
a wise man built his house upon the rock,
a wise man built his house upon the rock,
and the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods went up
the rains came down and the floods went up
the rains came down and the floods went up
and the house on the rock stood firm.
A foolish man built his house upon the sand,
a foolish man built his house upon the sand,
a foolish man built his house upon the sand
and the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods went up
the rains came down and the floods went up
the rains came down and the floods went up
and the house on the sand fell flat.
author unknown
To begin any knitting project you must first “cast on” a series of stitches. In crochet, we chain a foundation row. These stitches form the base, the foundation of the project. Our life is like that, filled with stitches that are woven together to create a pattern. We need a firm foundation to keep the stitches of our lives from unraveling.
Scripture gives us a pattern for our lives and directs us to “cast” onto Christ.
For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
I Cor 3:11
Once the foundation is laid, we are guided through the knitting/crochet (building) process.
For through him we have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God‟s people and members of God‟s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built
together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Eph 2:18-22
In other words, to keep our lives securely stitched in the peace that comes only from God. We must “cast on” to Him.
When a project is finished we must “cast off” (also referred to in knitting patterns as binding off) the stitches. Once we are “cast on” to God, David tells us to “cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you”. Psalm 55:22.
Cast on to God and be knit in His peace. Cast off your old life and become new in Him (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). Cast your burdens, worries, fears, and anxieties on to God and cast off from your old self. The outer edges must be secure or all the stitching that is between them will unravel.
With Christ as our foundation we will face opposition (purl stitch), we will move in various directions (cable stitch), and we will find intricacies that make us unique (fair isle) but in all this we will stand firm because of our solid foundation, Jesus Christ.