When God Sends You Down the Craft Aisle

Two thoughts immediately come to mind at the title of this post:

1) It’s too long. That will mess with whatever searches people do that might bring up my post.

2) It’s almost laughable. Many of us love going down the craft aisle!

But I like this title and I’m sticking to it. I’m not really writing these posts to become a famous blogger anyway, and it’s what I feel God is laying on my heart to share with you today.

Moving on.

Yesterday I made a Walmart run with one of my daughters. I had no intention of going down the craft aisle – in fact, I had already checked that aisle for something I needed on a previous trip and they didn’t have it. (I mean, it is Walmart.) But something told me to check again.

I firmly believe it was the leading of the Holy Spirit.

While I do believe that God cares about what we care about (even the little things), I don’t think the priority yesterday was the yarn I was looking for. God’s heart, first and foremost, is for His people.

My daughter and I were perusing the limited selection of yarn when an older woman asked if I could get something down for her.

This was a rare moment for me. At 5’4, I am usually the one asking for assistance.

I would have been happy to help her anyway, but knowing that many others have helped me, I assured her that I absolutely would get it down for her.

We hung around for a couple more minutes in case she needed more help. I pretended to keep looking at the yarn so it wouldn’t be awkward, and sure enough, she ended up requesting my assistance again. She was looking at hoops for cross stitch, a craft I am interested in but have not yet learned. I asked her if she had particular projects in mind and she said that she did.

She told me that the project she had in mind – a wreath – would likely take her all winter. That was okay because she had just lost her husband of 61 years, and she would need something to keep her occupied.

We talked a little longer – about her husband, about myself and my girls and how school was going online, about cross stitch and crochet. Again I offered my condolences and we were going to go, but I felt impressed to offer her my number in case she needed anything.

She assured me that her family has been fantastic and making sure she has everything she needs, but she appreciated the offer. I told her that I was grateful for her family then, and that I just wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be alone. We said our goodbyes, and my daughter and I left the aisle.

As we left, I heard the woman saying, “that was awfully kind of you to offer.” She said it quietly, introspectively; as if she was taken off guard.

Why am I sharing this with you today?

It’s been a hard year. COVID, race riots, the election, and what feels like a gazillion other things have made the world a chaotic and hateful place. And that is only going to change as we intentionally do things to change it.

That woman’s family is taking care of her. Her needs are met. And yet God directed me down that aisle because He wanted to give her what my mom calls a “God hug”. Not only was I able to help her physically, but God reminded her that she is not alone. Because sometimes, even when our needs are met by our loved ones, we still feel alone.

There is an aloneness in walking a path your loved ones have not walked.

This aloneness is not something we choose, but it is something we face. And it’s hard to share because we don’t want our loved ones to feel unappreciated.

I did end up finding a skein of yarn that I think will work for my project, by the way.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of the hate. There’s not much time left to this year, but will you join me in making the world a better place? We don’t have to find a cure for cancer, feed every starving child, or rescue every stray to make a difference, although those things are very important. We only need to set our differences to the side and start loving each other better. And while we’re at it, let’s love ourselves better too.

What are some things you can do to make the world a better place?