CAPACITY: MAKING MORE ROOM FOR HIM
Sometimes God begins His work in us with a simple stirring—a small desire, a new interest, or a gentle pull toward something we never considered before. It is not random. It is the Holy Spirit planting a seed of His will inside the heart. As we bring that stirring to God in prayer, He strengthens it, shapes it, and grows it. Scripture says that God Himself “creates in us the desire and the power to do His will” (Philippians 2:13).
This is what capacity looks like at the beginning. It is God making more room inside us for His purpose. He expands our willingness, enlarges our courage, and awakens gifts that have been waiting just beneath the surface. And when we take even the smallest step of obedience, He meets us with provision, guidance, and everything needed to accomplish what He has placed within us.
My own life is a testament to this unfolding journey and how God awakened new gifts in my fifties, revealed unexpected assignments in my sixties, and continuously expanded my capacity as I simply said yes to Him. It is not about age or ability; it is about availability, willingness, and the beautiful way God prepares the heart for more of Himself.
WHEN GIFTS AWAKEN UNEXPECTEDLY
There are dormant gifts and hidden abilities within every one of us, placed there by God long before we ever recognize them. They rest sometimes unnoticed until the Spirit moves upon them and awakens what has been waiting for the perfect time to surface.
For me, one of those discoveries came at fifty‑six years old. It began when my friend Liz prepared for a mission trip to a remote village in Haiti. As we talked about bringing small gifts for the people there, we discussed sewing simple drawstring bags to fill with toiletries. Even though I had not sewn much before, something stirred inside me that I could not explain.
With the help of my mother‑in‑law, Alverta, a skilled seamstress, and her sewing machine, she taught me the basics. What began as a simple idea quickly grew into a large project that required me to get my own sewing machine!
In the span of about 8 months, I was able to make nearly 200 toiletry bags and collect travel-size toiletries to fill them. Then came approximately 50 simple dresses for children who had little to no clothing, 60 Bible cover/carriers for villagers receiving Bibles, 60 sewn eyeglass cases along with a collection of eye glasses, and 60 aprons for the women who would cook for the mission team. Liz had to take 2 or 3 extra suitcases for all these extra goods!
I had only just begun sewing, yet God enabled me to create things far beyond my natural skill. The Holy Spirit guided my hands, widened my understanding, and filled the process with joy. Every material I needed—fabric, ribbon, lace, even the glasses themselves—arrived at the exact moment I needed it.
In the end, it wasn’t really about sewing at all; it was about learning how God moves in my life. It was broadening my understanding of Him, watching how He delights in the details of life, and how He created in me a willingness to learn new things so others could be blessed. It was witnessing His unlimited provision in every need I had and realizing He was inviting me to participate in what He longed to do for others.
CAPACITY MULTIPLIED
A year later, another stirring arose when I came across a simple video of scarves tied around frozen lampposts and draped across snow‑covered park benches for the homeless. A note attached to each item said, “Take it if you need it.”
Since I had been crocheting for years, a tiny desire rose in me: “Lord, I would love to do that.” Almost immediately, I tried to pull the thought back. It rarely snows in southern Louisiana, and the idea felt impractical in every way: the materials, labor, connections, all of it. But the desire didn’t fade; it took root.
As I continued to think about this new desire, the name dropped into my heart: Project: Knitted Together, inspired by Colossians 2:2, “I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love.”
Then came its motto: “Connecting people one stitch at a time.” Next came the logo created by my talented sister‑in‑law, Lynn Pellerin. It showed a ball of yarn overlaid with a picture of the earth with knitting needles forming a cross through the center, a simple and beautiful picture of God’s love reaching the world one stitch at a time.
As all of this unfolded, I sensed that God was doing more than giving me a name and a logo; He was revealing His heart. I saw that He wasn’t looking for a slick marketing strategy; He was looking for a surrendered heart. It reminded me of a verse in 2 Chronicles 16:9: The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (NLT).
The word “strengthen” means to fortify, to empower, to pour strength into what feels small or impossible. God is not looking for the most equipped; He is looking for the available and willing. He supplies the strength, the resources, and the connections to accomplish what He Himself has placed within the heart.
Not long after that prayer, God led me to a woman who would become one of the clearest expressions of His provision. Her name is Sandra Doherty, the owner of De Lis Fabric Outlet in Lafayette, LA. A couple of months prior to meeting her, I prayed specifically for good fabric. Although I accept donations, I sensed I should pray this way for this project. God wanted me to ask Him for something special. Fabric that honored the dignity of those who would receive it.
After explaining the project to Sandra, she immediately gathered bolts of amazing drapery and upholstery fabric, far beyond anything I expected. It was as if God Himself had prepared us both for that moment. Her generosity became a turning point. It wasn’t just fabric; it was confirmation.
On the ride home with an SUV full of bolts of fabric, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the prayer I had prayed months earlier. I had asked Him for “nice” fabric, and this was Him responding to my request! Then a deep, overflowing joy swept through my heart, and I realized once again that I was walking hand in hand with the Creator of everything!
Another faithful woman in this work is Missy Foreman, an old friend and gifted seamstress whose hands carry both skill and compassion. Missy quietly became one of Project: Knitted Together’s faithful supporters, donating beautiful, high‑quality fabric from her drapery projects. Her generosity, like Sandra’s, became part of the miracle.
Through these women and many others, God supplied more than enough. In nine years, we have never lacked materials, labor, or places to donate. Annually, our group has consistently produced over 1,400 handmade knitted, crocheted, and sewn items for hospitals, hospices, shelters, pregnancy centers, senior nursing homes, cancer centers, dialysis centers, and many other places where people need comfort and hope.
It amazes me how God can use something as simple as a blanket, a hat, a scarf, or any handmade item to open a doorway to His love. These small gifts soften hearts and create space for the message of Christ to be received. Truly, “A man’s gift makes room for him…” (Proverbs 18:16). In the same way, our gifts, wrapped in prayer and compassion, create an opening in the heart, making room for both the gift and the good news of Jesus Christ.
THE DOMINO EFFECT
There is a holy “domino effect” woven into the way God works through surrendered lives. He never asks us to bring what we do not have; He simply invites us to place what we do have into His hands—just as the boy did with his small lunch of fish and loaves. Once surrendered, Jesus multiplied it until thousands were fed (Matthew 14:13-21). God still works this way today.
One person’s kindness becomes the spark that touches another, who then touches many more down the line. We see this miracle unfold every time Sandra and Missy donate their beautiful fabric. Their generosity becomes the starting point.
From there, our hands turn that fabric as well as donated yarn into blankets, hats, scarves, and comfort items. Nurses and social workers receive them with joy, then pass them into the hands of patients who feel seen, loved, and remembered by someone they have never met. Every step in the chain carries God’s compassion forward—one stitch, one prayer, one act of kindness at a time. It is a tangible expression of His heart moving through ordinary people who simply said yes.
And as each person handles these gifts, something beautiful happens: joy rises, hearts lift, and God’s love multiplies far beyond what any of us could accomplish alone. This is what He does for anyone willing to take a small step; no pressure, just joy, community, and the privilege of making a difference in someone’s day and life.
YOUR PLACE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
When we follow the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit, we step into the very places God prepared long before we ever recognized them. We are not wandering through life, hoping to stumble into purpose; we are being lovingly guided into it. Your place in the Body of Christ is not hidden from you but hidden for you until the right moment. As you step into that calling, joy rises naturally, and worship becomes the rhythm of your work.
Every gift He awakens, every desire He stirs, every opportunity He opens is part of this unfolding. It isn’t about striving to become something; it’s about recognizing what He has already planted within you. Capacity grows because He is making room. Gifts emerge because He placed them there. The path becomes clear because He has been shaping it all along.