Afternoon PPN Families,

My evenings lately have been filled with crochet. If you’ve ever worked on a crochet project, you’ll know it’s a labor of love. Hours go into each piece, and sometimes you don’t notice a mistake until ten rows later. One missed stitch, one moment of distraction—suddenly, the whole pattern shifts. You’re left with two choices: cover it up and carry on or unravel and rework the rows. Undoing the stitches takes time and patience, but the love woven into the correction makes the final piece even more beautiful.

I recently started crocheting a baby blanket after hearing a friend is expecting. I spent time choosing the colours, the size, the stitch pattern—all intentional decisions at the beginning of something new. But even with careful planning, it’s so easy to get distracted. An audiobook playing in the background, a show that pulls my attention—and just like that, an error sneaks in. It’s a reminder of how often life works the same way.

We make plans. We dream. We try to do our best. But life can be exhausting and messy. We miss a step here, make a misjudgement there. We try to cover things up or fix them in our own strength. And oh, how draining that can be.

But we are not left to struggle alone.

Isaiah 40:31 reminds us: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint”. Even when we’re weary and weighed down, Jesus gives us strength for each new row of life. He is our sustainer when our energy is spent.

And just like my crochet project, our lives are ongoing works in the hands of our Creator. Philippians 1:6 encourages us with this truth: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”. God doesn’t abandon His projects. He doesn’t discard what’s imperfect. Instead, with patience and purpose, He weaves beauty from our unravelled places. He breathes life into us and keeps working—even when we can’t see the full pattern.

So, if today feels like tangled thread or a skipped stitch, remember you are a masterpiece still in progress, lovingly shaped by hands that never grow tired.

Blessings for the rest of this week and hope you have all have a wonderful holiday break,

Pr Andy