5.2.07

Proof

There are those who cite creation, or some of it's multitude of fascinating aspects as proof that God exists. I wholeheartedly agree with them - there's just no way I can believe that all that surrounds us was arrived upon by chance.

I'm starting to feel the same way about knitting - it is proof that God exists.

1. Knitting is so simple - there are only two components, you either knit or you purl. You either pass the loop to the front or the back. That's really all there is. Even the most complicated of lace projects is made up of knits and purls.

"Hold on a sec, what about all those holes???" I knew somebody was going to ask. For the holes, all you do is wrap the yarn once around the needle, effectively making a space in the row - it's the same basic action as forming a new stitch, but you don't pull it through anything. And to keep it from growing out of proportion, you can knit or purl stitches together, pulling one loop through two. Still, two basic building blocks, very simple. Knitting stitch patterns are just series of knits and purls.







2. Knitting creates. I am personally of the opinion that anything act that makes something of value, that contains an element of truth, is of God and proof that He exists. YMMV

3. Knitted objects, when finished fit into one or more of the following categories: something warm, something soft, something comforting, something aesthetically pleasing, or something useful. To that end, knitting, more often than not, either does good, or shows love, or both. In my mind, any act of love is definitely God stuff.

4. Knitting is relaxing, meditative even. If a sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spritual grace, then knitting might very well be a sacramental form of the peace of God, for those who enjoy it.

5. Knitting is challenging. There are an infinite number of new skills and tricks in knitting, such that no one can know everything that there is to know about all of the craft. Just two stiches, but thousands upon thousands of possibilities - this, to me, always speaks of God's involvement.

This is really the beginning of thoughts along this line, and as most folks who read/comment on my random thoughts don't knit (to my knowledge) I'm not expecting to be told I forgot something crucial, but any thoughts on the subject are always appreciated. And if anyone feels up to answering a question - what, to you, proves that there is a God?

3 comments:

Jacin said...

Well, since you asked ...

My life. I see God by looking at my own life.

To expand on that, I look at all of the bits and pieces of 'random', all of the things that I might've mistaken at the time as happenstance, and I begin to see how they fit together as a very small bit of a much larger puzzle.

The 'edges' of my experience touch others where my own 'suffering' -- or, at least, the minor inconveniences that we here often mistake for suffering -- have allowed others to see God reaching out to them, hoping to be what they will reach for in their time of need as He was in mine.

And, for just a moment, if we allow ourselves to be used for it, we can sometimes see the mundane become the marvelous.

(And, for the record, you have one of the most intersting 'random' blogs I've ever found by clicking 'next blog'.)

Dana said...

I think you are the only one that's made knitting sound so easy. Yes i can knit, but i wasn't award of how spaces were made, and things of that nature. you should totally write a knitting book. i love you

Peregrinphytaphiliac said...

Susan, you make some great theological points here, thanks for the insight. As for my proof, this is gonna sound cheesy, but bear with me. Butterflies. They are so incredibly fragile. Their life cycle is crazy (they more or less have a living liquid stage in the chrysalis) and they only live a few days as adults. How on earth could they have lasted this long? What's the point? They bring joy to the hearts of people who see them, and just a little bit of wonder.
A science mag I read was insisting that the fragile life cycle of some other particular species of insect (forget what, I think a moth or an ant or a moth that relied on an ant) proved there was no God, or at least he had no plan, but it seemed so obvious to me that such a delicate thing was a thing of beauty and a tribute to how He takes interest in even the most seemingly insignificant thing. PS I am horrible at knitting. What does that mean?