Your Tapestry
Have you ever looked at the back of a beautiful, handmade tapestry? I have, and what I saw on the back side was vastly different from the front.
The back was a cacophony of colors, not one of them made a whole lot of sense where they were. There were long threads, and short ones. There were knots everywhere. Nothing on the back of the canvas even was close to what was on the front. On the front of the canvas, the colors were woven in such a way as to depict a beautiful piece to display on one's wall, so contrary to what I saw on the back. Many, many hours were put into that piece by it's creator, and the person who purchased the tapestry certainly had a wonderful addition to their home decor.
Today, I attended a funeral for the husband of a friend of mine, Joey, and it got me to thinking. I didn't know Joey very well, mostly what I knew of him was from my friend, but I had spoken to him when I saw him at church, and thought of him often during his battle with so many health issues. Now, my prayers will continue, but for comfort for his widow and family in the days, weeks, months and years to come.
I promise I'm going somewhere with this.
As our Pastor was speaking about Joey, the tapestry came to my mind. In the recollection of his life, our Pastor spoke of his early life, and his time in the Navy serving our Country. He spoke of my friend and how she and her soon-to-be husband met, and then married in that very church forty four years ago. How he had worked for the school district, worked with the College and Career group in Church. How he had done skits in the elementary schools to teach children safety, and of the skits he'd done for Church. How he'd retired, and how he had still been a light to those around him.
When he had fallen ill, still he encouraged those around him, focusing on them, making them laugh and being an example of how a Christian man should be. And those were just the examples that we were given, but I can assure you there was so much more. Each and every aspect of Joey's life was part of his tapestry...the Tapestry that God had woven. God had planned his life, and as is sometimes our nature, we tend to change the thread or the way that it is meant to be incorporated into the piece, but God, knowing our days, and our end, still wove each and every thread into the ultimate Masterpiece. That Masterpiece is what Joey is now. Fully whole, as God had intended him to be. No longer ill, no more tears, and absolutely beautiful in the Father's eyes.
When we look at our lives, sometimes, well, let's face it, we always look at the chaos of the threads, and knots...the lost job opportunity, the prodigal child, the divorce, the loss, as well as the good times. Still, we cock our heads, rub our chins and wonder, how on earth do all of the knots and unwoven ends even remotely create a coherent picture when there is such a tangled mess. Be assured that God is still creating the Tapestry that is your life. He's not quite finished with it yet, but when He is, He will show you the beautiful thing that was your life. He will show you how all of the colors and stitches meshed together to create you. This life of yours right now may not be a thing of beauty, it may not make much sense looking at it from your viewpoint, but if you give it over to God and let Him work all of those loose ends, when you get to the other side, you will see the beautiful Creation that you truly are.
Have a blessed week, everyone.
P.S.
If you would like to view the vlog of this entry, here's the link.
https://youtu.be/BGLZJH9kbzs
The back was a cacophony of colors, not one of them made a whole lot of sense where they were. There were long threads, and short ones. There were knots everywhere. Nothing on the back of the canvas even was close to what was on the front. On the front of the canvas, the colors were woven in such a way as to depict a beautiful piece to display on one's wall, so contrary to what I saw on the back. Many, many hours were put into that piece by it's creator, and the person who purchased the tapestry certainly had a wonderful addition to their home decor.
Today, I attended a funeral for the husband of a friend of mine, Joey, and it got me to thinking. I didn't know Joey very well, mostly what I knew of him was from my friend, but I had spoken to him when I saw him at church, and thought of him often during his battle with so many health issues. Now, my prayers will continue, but for comfort for his widow and family in the days, weeks, months and years to come.
I promise I'm going somewhere with this.
As our Pastor was speaking about Joey, the tapestry came to my mind. In the recollection of his life, our Pastor spoke of his early life, and his time in the Navy serving our Country. He spoke of my friend and how she and her soon-to-be husband met, and then married in that very church forty four years ago. How he had worked for the school district, worked with the College and Career group in Church. How he had done skits in the elementary schools to teach children safety, and of the skits he'd done for Church. How he'd retired, and how he had still been a light to those around him.
When he had fallen ill, still he encouraged those around him, focusing on them, making them laugh and being an example of how a Christian man should be. And those were just the examples that we were given, but I can assure you there was so much more. Each and every aspect of Joey's life was part of his tapestry...the Tapestry that God had woven. God had planned his life, and as is sometimes our nature, we tend to change the thread or the way that it is meant to be incorporated into the piece, but God, knowing our days, and our end, still wove each and every thread into the ultimate Masterpiece. That Masterpiece is what Joey is now. Fully whole, as God had intended him to be. No longer ill, no more tears, and absolutely beautiful in the Father's eyes.
When we look at our lives, sometimes, well, let's face it, we always look at the chaos of the threads, and knots...the lost job opportunity, the prodigal child, the divorce, the loss, as well as the good times. Still, we cock our heads, rub our chins and wonder, how on earth do all of the knots and unwoven ends even remotely create a coherent picture when there is such a tangled mess. Be assured that God is still creating the Tapestry that is your life. He's not quite finished with it yet, but when He is, He will show you the beautiful thing that was your life. He will show you how all of the colors and stitches meshed together to create you. This life of yours right now may not be a thing of beauty, it may not make much sense looking at it from your viewpoint, but if you give it over to God and let Him work all of those loose ends, when you get to the other side, you will see the beautiful Creation that you truly are.
Have a blessed week, everyone.
P.S.
If you would like to view the vlog of this entry, here's the link.
https://youtu.be/BGLZJH9kbzs
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