Work came before the fall.
Ever thought of that? Before sin entered the world, and God punished Adam and Eve, He had already assigned them work. They were to care for the garden, and watch over the animals.
Work was not punishment. There is something intrinsically good about “the works of our hands”.
Throughout the Bible, one of the blessings God promises His children is that one day they will get to “enjoy the fields they have planted” and “live in the houses they built”. Too often, they would plant and someone else would eat it, or build and someone else would take it. But it is a blessing to be able to enjoy something that we produced ourselves.
Do we sometimes forget the tremendous satisfaction that comes from working on something tangible?
Our “work” has become so far removed from our “hands”, in some ways, that we miss the satisfaction that comes in completing something. When you work all day in meetings or in strategy sessions, you are accomplishing something. But it’s a different feeling than when you garden and you actually see something grow, or when you build something in a carpentry shop or when you knit.
I was thinking about this last night when I walked into my sitting room and was greeted by the 4 pillows I knit recently (well, I knit the covers!). They’re made with a bunch of yarns I had left over, and I just love them!
There is something really satisfying about accomplishing something with your hands, of producing something with your own effort. We feel it when we give a room a thorough cleaning, or when we make a scrumptious meal, or when we plant a garden. We feel it when we needlepoint, or scrapbook, or woodwork.
And I think there’s a reason for that. God is a creative God and He is an orderly God. In nature, the law of entropy tells us that things go from a state of order to state of increasing disorder. It’s impossible for it to go the other way.
And so when we intervene, and create order out of disorder, we’re participating in God’s creation.
(I don’t mean to be blasphemous, but you know what I mean, right?).
When we take a disordered room and clean it, we’re actually doing a godly thing. When we take different bits of yarn and create something useful out of it, we’re participating in a godly endeavour.
But here’s the problem: all these godly endeavours are slowly being drowned out in our society.
A century ago, when most people had the experience of living on a farm, they knew what it was to work the land. I don’t mean to glorify that life, but I do think working with the soil teaches you something that working on a computer doesn’t.
They also made their own clothes, and cooked from scratch all the time. We don’t.
Even our hobbies are increasingly becoming technified. We watch TV, blog (!), surf the internet, or play videogames. These things are all fun, but what do you have to show for it later? Maybe one of the reasons we increasingly feel dissatisfied with life, and yearn for a vacation, is because we don’t get the true satisfaction that comes from doing something with our hands enough. So our relaxation doesn’t really rejuvenate us.
Maybe if we took more time during the day to turn off the computer and the TV and pick up a crochet hook while we listen to music, or talk to our kids, or if we ventured outside and weeded a garden bed while talking to Jesus, we’d feel better about our lives and we’d have less of a need to escape.
Crafts and working with your hands help you to focus; help you to slow down and just breathe; help you to appreciate small things. They ground us, I think.
There’s something lovely about handmade things, too. At Christmas my house is full of handmade things. Here’s our living room from last year (I haven’t decorated yet this year). I knit the Christmas tree rug; the stockings on the mantle; the blanket on the chair.
And at Christmas I always knit gifts, too. Last year I made my husband a scarf, my son-in-law socks, and my daughters mittens. This year I’m busy knitting Katie a beautiful shawl to wear at her winter wedding over her wedding dress. And then I’ll finish my own shawl!
My girls knit, too. Katie actually designs her own dresses:
And Rebecca both knits and quilts, and is working on finishing a big quilt for her bed this Christmas.
They’re both trying to figure out super cheap Christmas gifts to give people, and Katie was fretting about her soon-to-be-inlaws. I told her to knit them scarves (Darcy, if you’re reading this, forget I said that!). People love beautiful handmade gifts, and then what we’re giving someone is a gift of our time and creativity. And it’s so personal that they will think of us when they wear it.
Handmade crafts give us the ability to both feel productive and creative AND bless others.
But there’s another aspect.
We can enjoy watching TV shows together. But we can never pass on TV shows, down generations, like we can productive hobbies.
I inherited some knitting that was done by my great-grandmother. She made these dresses for my mother (her granddaughter), and my mom wore them in the 60s. My girls wear them now.
Rebecca and Katie wearing things their great-great-grandmother knit
Yes, you can do fun things with your family with a screen. But there is something unique about passing on a hobby that is actually a skill. You can pass that hobby down, teaching children different techniques, and, years later, a great-great-granddaughter can be reknitting a stitch based on something her ancestor, whom she never met, created.
That’s cool.
I would not be the person I am without knitting. My family knits. That is what we do. My mom knits, my cousin knits, my aunt knits, my grandmother knits, my great-grandmother knits, and so on, and so on, and so on.
It is wonderful.
Modern life is both a blessing and a curse.
The ease with which we can meet our basic needs is such a relief compared to what the most of the world lives like today, or what our own culture lived like a century and a half ago. But it’s a curse, too, because it takes us that step away from the works of our hands.
So let me encourage you today: take up a hobby. Create something. Work with your hands. It doesn’t even have to be good; just do something! It gets you in touch with God’s creativity, I think, and it lends a rhythm and a beauty to our lives.
Now, what do you like to do? What relaxes you? Have you ever had that experience of feeling dissatisfied, largely because you haven’t been creative or productive with your hands for a while? Let’s talk in the comments!
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Sheila Wray Gregoire has been married for 29 years and happily married for 24! She loves traveling around North America with her hubby in their RV, giving her signature "Girl Talk" about sex and marriage. And she's written 7 books. About sex and marriage. See a theme here? Plus she knits. Even in line at the grocery store.
Yes to all of this!!! I grew up in a very crafty family, and aside from reading, my main hobby is sewing clothes. (I also knit at a ridiculously slow pace, and do scrapbooks that are much more basic than when I was a teenager.) I learned to sew from my mom, and that’s still a big shared part of our relationship. My husband often says that I don’t know how to relax– which is partially true, but he doesn’t quite understand why it is that for me, having something to do with my hands while we watch something together is much more relaxing than just sitting and staring at the tv.
One of the hardest things about becoming a parent so far has been trying to figure out how to keep those things in my life, while contending with toddlers and babies that don’t want to sleep consistently and like to run away with my projects or grab all the sharp, pointy things that go with them. And when I go for a long stretch without sewing in particular, it really does have a negative effect on my mood! It’s been a big help to my body image since my pregnancies, too– learning to fit my new body has been a challenge, but when it’s worked, I’ve been much happier with the resulting outfit than with the things I’ve had to purchase at the store just so I have something to wear.
I’m trying to figure out what passing on handwork will look like for me, since I have all boys so far. I don’t really expect them to want to learn to sew or knit, though I have told my husband that I fully plan to make sure they can at least do some basic clothing repairs on their own. But the toddler loves to help me in the kitchen so far, so I’ve been trying to encourage that as much as safety allows.
One comment about the screen time– for me, one of the primary things I use social media for is actually to connect with other people who sew, since I don’t really have any local friends who do aside from my mom. It’s nice to have people to chat with about fitting issues and seeing finished versions of the hottest new indie patterns. And that’s been a big help to me, being able to read blogs and scroll through that part of Instagram while my own craft time is a lot more limited. My own blogging is pretty much all about making stuff, too! (Which is why I don’t usually link it, but I will this time.)
Hi Becky! Yes, I’m so glad I have daughters who I can pass on knitting to! 🙂 But maybe one day you can pass it on to daughters-in-law?
I think sewing is harder when you have little ones because of all the pins and needles and such. There are certain crafts that are more challenging at certain times of your life! But I agree with you–we feel so much better when we do them, even if it doesn’t look like we’re relaxing. We have this idea that relaxing means doing nothing, but relaxing I think means being able to quiet your mind and focus and breathe, and often we can do that best when we’re creating.
Don’t be afraid to teach your boys to knit.
My two boys both knit – one just basics, but one has made all sorts of things; hats, toys… Once they found out that sailors used to make their own socks, it became a “cool” thing to learn. 🙂
We taught my son-in-law Connor to knit! He made an amazing hat and scarf!
I have been considering trying a knitting spool when they’re a little older. I’ve been looking into homeschooling them, and the method I keep being drawn to the most does emphasize handicrafts. (And lots of books and outdoor time, which fits the older boy well so far.) Maybe if I tell him he’s making ropes…
Don’t be afraid to teach them to sew either. Military personnel used to be taught, way back when. And there have been many times my father wished he knew how in order to repair jackets and jeans.
Yes!
I knit. My mom knits. My grandmothers knit. I have a baby poncho my great grandmother made me. All my kids know how to knit.
And my kids also like to work with wood. Toy swords, miniature catapults, and doll furniture has paved the way for one to be making his own sailboat.
Also, crafting slows down the pace. It means there’s no instant gratification – we have to take the time to do it well.
In our culture, where “how are you doing?” is now meant to be answered by “busy”, it is good to stop and take time on something that will last. 🙂
I didn’t think of that “slowing down the pace” element, but that’s so true! I have a blanket I’m knitting out of ends of sock yarn. It will likely take me several years to complete. But I love it. It’s nice to measure things like that sometime, not in instantaneous results.
I love seeing, especially quilting! I do alterations for work, so I’m always sewing. But occasionally I get so focused on alterations that I don’t actually make anything. When that happens I have noticed that I also get depressed. That’s when I look around for a friend who needs a quilt. And I make one. It always seems to help. And I get to give away a beautiful quilt, which feels great too.
Me, too. When I go for months without knitting I FEEL different. And then I know that I need to start again!
I am a very creative person. I have a master’s degree in the theater and I design sets, props, costumes and lighting. I also do photography, I am a writer, and I paint. I also bake ( which is something my grandma and mom taught me how to do. All of my sisters bake) and decorate cakes. And I absolutely agree with you on the aspect of feeling accomplished after you get done with these things. Seeing something that you created with your hands is very satisfying and it’s wonderful. With that said, I do not find it overly relaxing. I think because my artist mind is kind of intense and passionate and I invest myself and my heart into everything that I do, I do not feel it to be extremely relaxing when I do those things. I love doing them, i love being creative and creating art and like I said I get satisfaction from it. But the relaxing part is not something that I find to be true for me. I find it more relaxing to sit and read a book or to watch TV, or to watch a movie than I do painting something, or designing something, or baking and decorating something, or photographing something. I like being able to shut my mind off to relax and when I’m being creative my mind is not shut off at all. I do plan on teaching my sons how to paint (my husband draws and paints) and how to put things together with their hands, I also can build things and do woodwork, because of my work in the theater I had to build sets and props. I also plan on continuing to teach them how to cook, bake, and decorate. I definitely want to pass those things on to them. I really do see the importance of those. But I find relaxing in front of the television or reading a book to be very, very relaxing and while I don’t get that exact same sense of satisfaction when I’m done, I do not feel like I’ve wasted time because that is the time when I actually am able to emotionally relax and put my own mind away.
Lastly, I totally agree about how doing these things, and cleaning, cooking a meal, organizing, etc. is part of the work of God. Working with our hands is important and does provide a deep sense of satisfaction that you can’t get in other places.
That’s interesting, SL! I think you’re right–not all crafts may be relaxing. But I think there’s still a sense of peace that they bring that we need, even if it’s not relaxing per se. Like it’s almost a necessary precursor to being able to relax, if that makes sense. If we have no feeling of accomplishing something and no feeling of productivity, then it’s hard to ever feel that peace, I think.
I definitely agree with you there. Once I am done the sense of accomplishment is huge. Then I can relax!
I agree with you – when I’m working on a project, I’ve got a drive to finish it, which isn’t necessarily relaxing, but is oh-so-satisfying once I get there.
I’ve been letting screen time eat up too much of my creative time. But while crocheting, painting, drawing, sewing, or baking isn’t exactly relaxing for me, they can be very soul-satisfying, and I feel a need to take it up when I haven’t done anything in a while.
Love this! I taught myself to knit several years ago. It was very special because I told my mom about wanting to learn and she pulled out my great grandmothers knitting bag. So now I knit with some of the needles my great grandmother used 🙂 my hobby has also turned into a way for me to make some extra money by selling things on Etsy and I’m able to demonstrate a skill at some of the 18th century reenactments my family does 🙂
How cool! That sounds like so much fun. And it is amazing to carry things on down the generations.
Yes! I try to always be working on something because it helps me not spend so much time on my computer. Of course, I also end up spending a lot of money at the craft stores. 🙂 but I also coordinate crafts for a moms group, plus am often working on something creative for a ministry at church, which are things I don’t personally have to pay for.
A friend of mine who does a lot of embroidery has started posting a work-in-progress (WIP) Wednesday picture of whatever she’s working on, and encouraging her friends to post pictures of whatever they’re working on, and that has really encouraged me to keep up on whatever I’ve got going.
Oh, I love that WIP idea! I should start posting my knitting! Maybe I’ll instagram it today…
This is something that has been on my mind A LOT lately. At the end of a day when I sit down and turn on the TV, I think, “isn’t there something productive and fun I can be doing?”
See, there is a culture of craftiness out there. So many people are sewing or knitting or crocheting or a multitude of other crafts and selling their wares on Etsy or at local markets. I look at them and say “why don’t I try that? I don’t have a hobby. I need a hobby.” So I try. But it doesn’t bring me that kind of fulfillment that a hobby should.
Even other kinds of things like reading or exercising don’t do it for me. So what’s wrong with me?!
Nothing. I have had to look into my past and see what has brought me that feeling before. And what is it? Serving. I’ve loved the jobs I’ve had – in retail, grocery stores, a hotel – because I get a rush when I help somebody out. I haven’t worked in 5.5 years because I’ve had four kids since then, but there are still times when I can do my “hobby”. I make muffins for church. I help set up a home for a refugee family. I offer my home as a place to gather. I volunteer for various church events.
So while this isn’t particularly something I can do with downtime in the evening, I consider it my hobby. Crafts aren’t for everybody.
Larissa, that’s really very true. Crafts aren’t necessarily for everybody, but I think everybody does need to do something where they feel like there’s a beginning and an end and they have something to show for their work. There’s just not enough of that in our daily lives.
One more plug for crafts: The first year I knit for real was TERRIBLE. It was ever so frustrating because I had to think about it all the time. But now it’s the most relaxing thing I do. Sometimes you need to give things a chance to get good at them, because they’re really only fun when you get good at them!
I love creating. This week I have tried my hand at bar soap and candles. Sometimes though, I think we can feel like people don’t appreciate what we create and then we feel insecure about doing it. For example, we moved into a new house with oak cupboards. I am someone who loves bold, bright colours so am talking about painting my cupboards teal, throwing in a curtain under the sink for a farmhouse look, and taking out a piece of stained glass that isn’t my style and putting in chicken wire for the rustic farmhouse feel. In mentioning creating this look to some friends I got raised eyebrows a few times. What about resale value, they wonder. And who would paint their kitchen such an absurd, bold colour? In the end I will create a kitchen space that I enjoy being in, and since I am the one spending so much time in it, isn’t that what matters? But in moments like that sometimes I second guess myself and decide to not create at all.
Oh, Ashley, PAINT THOSE CUPBOARDS! That’s wonderful. It’s your house! You’re supposed to enjoy it. If we always worry about resale value then we never make it feel like home–and then why not just rent? What’s the point? 🙂
And I’ve always wanted to try to make bar soap. I’ve just always been nervous about the lye. I’ve even got most of the ingredients in my basement, just waiting…
Thank you for the encouragement! I wanted to say, Lye isn’t that scary once you try it. I was terrified of it but I watched a bunch of tutorials online and after using it once realized as long as you are safe about it, it isn’t that scary.:) Goggles, and long sleeves and vinegar near by in case you do spill on yourself.
Paint the cupboard! It’s annoying to always see neutral everything decor, use the colors that make you happy! Teal is one of my favourites, too.
Thank you, Becky! I am gonna paint those cupboards!
I used to make jewelry and loved it. Funny thing I never considered myself an “artsy” person in terms of working with my hands, so I was surprised when I gained so much satisfaction from it. It became a small business. Then we moved countries and the craft died as I took up writing. This post is so encouraging because I’ve thought about going back to it!
This is such a great post! I agree that there is something so satisfying about doing something with your own hands. I am a Pinterest-loving DIYer. These aren’t crafts, but I make my own household cleaners, laundry soap, and most recently, deodorant. And it’s so satisfying to use them! I also make pretty bar soaps occasionally for gifts and sometimes to sell. It’s a great hobby. I would love to learn knitting. And recently I was shown a YouTube video of Bob Ross painting back in the 90’s, and I’ve been binge-watching painting. He made it look so easy and fun!
I’ve been thinking about making my own deodorant, too. I’ve got the ingredients–just not the containers. But I think I’ll try soon!
I just put mine in a little tin container from the dollar store. It’s sort of like an Altoids container, but way cuter.
I don’t consider myself crafty, as in let’s have a women’s tea and make crafts! But I guess I am creative and like working with my hands. My mom was a seamstress so she taught me the basics of sewing. She also taught us how to embroider and the different stitches; I still remember the summer we did that and I found it enjoyable. I do like doing needlepoint, where after you’re done you frame it. This reminds me that I should finish the one I’ve been working on for the past 10 yrs :). I love gardening; love! All of these things are enjoyable, therapeutic and give me a sense of accomplishment.
I agree with this so much! We worship a God of beauty and creative power (among other things), and I’ve been influenced by reading some of J. R. R. Tolkien’s writing on sub-creation and the human desire to join God in His creation. On a much smaller, practical level, I’ve found that I really need to have a creative outlet to feel healthy and well-balanced, which spills over into other areas of my life. I run an Etsy shop, and earning the extra money is nice, but sometimes I just see it as an excuse to enable me to keep doing my hobby that I enjoy doing anyway. (haha) 🙂
I love to knit and quilt and often use these skills to make gifts (even though socks are hardly appropriate gifts for a down under summer Christmas). However, from reading blogs and forums online, it seems that a lot of people aren’t so thrilled about receiving handmade gifts any more. And those who aren’t crafters, often don’t appreciate the time and effort that goes into making gifts. However, I think I’ll still make gifts for family and friends and when I see the holes in the socks or the faded quilt be happy that they are signs of the gift haying been well used.
Yes, I’d make them anyway! In our family we love handmade gifts, likely because EVERYONE is some sort of a crafty person. But a lot of people don’t appreciate them, no. I find with knitting that you can make something you’d never be able to buy because you can use such luscious yarns and such amazing colours. And my scarves are super soft! But people don’t always recognize the quality of it, which is sad.
Your post really put into words something I’ve been pondering for some time! We live overseas in a third world country, and as a result, my life is full of doing many things by hand that I don’t have to in Canada. I have to cook everything from scratch, bake my own bread, hang my laundry, mend my family’s clothes since we can’t just go out and buy them here. I can food in the summer so that we have produce other than potatoes and carrots to eat in the winter. It’s a totally different life. I also have 3 young children and am pregnant, so I don’t find any of this easy. To be honest, life is often hard here and I do struggle to keep up, though much of that may have to do with the season of young children that I’m in! But here’s the perplexing thing. We went home last year to have our third baby. I was so excited to get home to modern conveniences and actual grocery stores, all kinds of produce and green veggies, etc., you get the idea!! But I actually ended up really depressed for a large portion of our time home. I just didn’t know what to do with myself, and my life felt so unproductive. Since we were only home for a few months I didn’t really have the right amount of time to adjust to life and fill my extra time with other productive things.. everything I thought of felt silly compared to what I was used to doing every day to keep my family well cared for overseas. It was so wierd. I’ve been thinking about it a lot ever since. I’m not a naturally creative person, but I do enjoy working with my hands, and I do like sewing if I have a good idea to follow. I definitely feel more fulfilled when my hands are busy!
That’s really interesting, Jenn! I can understand you feeling unproductive and lost when you came home!
And I really don’t mean to glorify what life was like 150 years ago. It sounds like you work REALLY hard, and I certainly wouldn’t want to give up my modern conveniences! So maybe we just have to find that happy balance–where we have the convenience, but at the same time we recognize that actually working with our hands is a gift. It helps us focus, be present, appreciate small things. And that’s what you’re learning now, and I hope one day when you’re back home for longer you’ll be able to find ways to incorporate it!
I totally agree!!! As a parent, I try and make sure my kids don’t spend their whole day playing video games and texting. The pillows look great by the way!!!!