I believe God has perfect timing for everything.
I wanted to share my story of how God had put a child and crochet in my life at the perfect time.
I am always amazed at how things add up and line up in my life… things you never understand until years later.
Growing up, I had many people try to teach me how to crochet. The farthest I had ever reached with my hook was making a sloppy chain. In my early 20's I became a Homemaker (cleaned for the elderly) I had one client who insisted I learn how to crochet instead of dusting behind her mountains of storage containers. (which I now know what she was hoarding ;))
I remember this beautiful old woman being so frustrated with me. It was almost like she could see the crochet light in my eyes and she was determined to help me reach my potential…. but I just couldn't hold the yarn or hook correct… let alone actually crochet! I gave up. The idea of crocheting was such a tiny little thought in my brain. The thought of me actually picking up a hook and learning was obsolete.
During this time, I was also trying to have a baby. Month after month, year after year, I would get my hopes up. Wasting money on pregnancy tests were a monthy activity. After 8 years I gave up. For years I had cried out to God. I didn't understand why I wasn't *good enough* *woman enough* I came to the idea that God didn't design me to have children. I believed this until Mothers Day 2010.
My world changed rapidly after that day.
I was blessed with a healthy daughter on 1-11-11. I then knew there was a reason it took me so many years to have her. In fact… there are many reasons. One year after having Ella, I picked up a crochet hook and a cheap skein of yarn and everything clicked in my brain. It was almost like this part of my brain was suddenly able to process a foreign language and all while my hands were able to hold a hook and yarn with ease. I was suddenly a natural.
I believe there is a reason it took me so long to have a child. I also believe there is a reason it took even longer to spark up the crochet wiring in my brain. God has a plan. And it is up to us to have faith and trust in him. Sometimes it is so hard to be patient… understanding…. but when he reveals the Big Picture, it will all make sense. We will know he had the best intentions for each of us the entire time…. and we wouldn't want it any other way.
I can now look back at my life and know things would be so different if the timing would have been sooner. The world I know right now would not exist in my reality. Who knows what kind of mother I would have been if it had not taken 8 years to conceive. The crochet community probably would have never been discovered by me. There would be no Stitch11. Most likely I would not be a stay at home mom…. I would be either waiting tables or in some dirty factory. My point is, God has a plan. Sometimes what feels like punishment to us is actually a blessing that we are not meant to understand just yet. So have faith and remember to praise him through the storms…. it is those very storms that will help your gardens grow.
Love this! Thank you for sharing! You are AWESOME!!!!!!!
Lover your story! I also couldn’t conceive. After years of surgeries and infertility medications I was told it wasn’t going to happen
Amen. Beautiful story and beautifully said 🙂
Loved your story. My husband and I have been trying to have children for some years now with no luck. I have the belief that if we can’t get pregnant naturally (without surgeries and fertility medicine) there are thousand of children in foster care who need homes. I too love to crochet and am pretty good at it but I would love to learn to knit. I get all tangled and twist. Thank you for the inspiration to keep going during the storm.
Thank you so much for the encouragement! It brought tears to my eyes.. just what I needed to be reminded of at this point in my life! Thanks again.
Amy
Love your story. May God bless you as you continue doing what He has gifted your hands to do. 🙂
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven
Your’s is a Wonderful Story & a Beautiful Trust in God. I very much enjoyed reading your story.
Oh my goodness, your story is amazing and very very similar to mine, when you say your daughter was born 1-11-11 do you mean 11th January 2011 or 1st November 2011. I live in Australia so writing the date is different to US. My son was born 2nd November and it was after he was born that I learnt to crochet and it just clicked and i’m now making items for friends, and dyeing yarn and selling it. Bless you. Will definitely sign up to follow you.
Aw! So glad to get to connect with you! She was born on Jan 11th 2011. Isn’t it amazing how quickly our world can change? <3
Thank you Corina, for sharing your story and being an inspiration. May the Lord continually guide and bless you with everything you lay your hand too! Your story certainly inspired me and made my day.
Thank you so much. God is so GREAT and so GOOD. Every day is a miracle. This is one of my big ones. In1950 I had to have a hysterectomy, I was 23. I mourned for my lost babies for over 2 years. When 38 God chose the bestest of men for me. After a year or so we signed up for foster children and after awhile they gave us a baby and he became ours. We were keeping 6 others at the same time. And a year later God gave us a beautiful daughter. Most of the other children had gone back to their families. God filled that void in His own time and in His own way and while doing it He is teaching many,many lessons. He is an Amazing God. Katie
I love your story! God is good… even when it feels like we are being punished.. he has a plan! The battle is keeping the trust in faith during the hard times.. but he always pulls through! <3
This definitely touched my heart. Never had a problem conceiving or giving birth…4 alive & one with Jesus! You are so right that God’s timing is perfect. We are only able to see the smallest fraction of His plan -and only as it touches our lives and those closest to us. We also tend to believe that He punishes us, and that is just not true. He loves those who belong to Him, and His own son took our punishment. When He disciplines us it is always for our good & His glory. Well, I could write a book on this but will stop here. Keep growing in our great and good God….and keep on stitching!
I also believe this with all my heart. I always know that wherever I am now is exactly where I am supposed to be.
Wow, you are so right…it is ALL in God’s timing. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for a lil over 2 years. We did a few fertility treatments and all the while getting so frustrated and upset because it wasn’t happening. Then in May 2013 I found a lump on my breast and to our horror it turned out to be stage 1 breast cancer. So our world stopped for a while, while I underwent surgery and treatment. Looking back now I realize why we weren’t getting pregnant. God was not gonna let it happen until I got all of that taken care of. Due to the medicine I am on I can’t get pregnant now. We hope and pray that in a couple of years we can try again. During this time i have learned to crochet and love it!!!
Beautiful testimony! Guess what? It was 1:11p when I finished reading it!
May God continue to Bless you – and He shall – for you are sharing His Word and His love through your blog and through your story.
I had 6 miscarriages before I finally had my first precious daughter. There were a few more miscarriages, but I ended up Richly Blessed with four beautiful children – who are now grown adults with families of their own.
They are the Richest Blessing in my life – and I thank Him daily for them – and for all of my blessings.
I, too, have had my ‘bad’ years -and painful years – but there is a Reason – and I Trust Fully in Him to bring me through all those times.
If I am in physical pain, I figure there must be a reason, so I shall do what I can to tolerate as much as I can. the Blessings of my children (and SEVEN beautiful grandchildren!) continue to rain down on me – and for that I am eternally grateful!
May He continue to bless you for your Faith and your patience. You are using your God-given talents to share beautiful things with others – and may help someone else who is unsure to find Him in their own life!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story with us.
Hi Corina,
I found my first Stitch 11 patterns a couple of years ago on Ravelry and loved them immediately. I had become physically unable to work and my youngest child, my only daughter had left home for college. I had known how to crochet since I was a child and had begun accumulating a stash, but during the busy years of my kids growing up and working full time and pursuing a degree, I spent very little time crocheting. Although I did teach my daughter and we would sometimes work on projects together. But as you say, God’s timing is everything. I have my ups and downs healthwise, but love the feeling of accomplishment watching a project grow. I am amazed I just found your blog today. I have been following you on Ravelry and receive regular notifications when you add something new. It just didn’t occur to me to look elsewhere:) Thank you for letting God’s timing direct you and bless you. I love your designs and look forward to learning more about you. God bless you and your precious family.