The Tapestry

“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand…”       Psalm 31:14-15a

 I’m excited about my new website and blog, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to check it out. Although, from time to time I’ve made a stab at writing consistently, I have never been successful at it. However, a few people have encouraged me to write regularly, and I’ve even received some requests from young ladies asking me to address specific topics.  So, I prayed about it and talked to my husband, even though I had no question as to his thoughts on the subject.  As my biggest “fan”, he persuaded me to do what he knows I greatly enjoy doing.  Consequently, my son, a gifted web designer, agreed to build a website for me, and here I am!

You may wonder why I chose the title, The Tapestry.  There are actually several reasons, the first being that is the title of a book that had a great impact on my life as a young wife and mother. The Tapestry is the inspiring story of the life and times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer, the founders of L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. With over six hundred pages, it was a pretty daunting read for me as a young woman, but once I started I didn’t want to put it down.  Mrs. Schaeffer candidly, yet beautifully, wrote of the almost fifty years of life and ministry she and her dear husband shared.  I believe it was upon reading this autobiography that I first began to think of our lives as threads being woven together by the Master Weaver.  Dr. Schaeffer was known to often say, “God has no chance behind Him.” Edith wrote of looking back at The Tapestry behind us and marveling at how God had woven people’s lives together “side by side in a pattern that has continuity with other parts of the pattern.”

I also chose this title because I love the biblical truth that our lives are not the result of random chance. Oh, it looks that way to us sometimes. We don’t understand why heart breaking things happen, and we can’t imagine why God would allow us or those we love to suffer.

When I was younger and had keener eyesight, I used to enjoy cross-stitching.  During my early attempts, it would trouble me that the underside always looked so disoriented.  I would turn my work over and see random strands of different colors crossing over each other with no apparent rhyme or reason.  Often it would just look like an uncoordinated, knotty mess.  But, over time, I learned to simply be concerned with the front side.  In spite of the disorganized back side, as I continued to work, an attractive, coordinated pattern would appear on the front of the fabric.  And very often that’s the way our lives are.  All we can see is a mismatched, knotty, stringy jumble.  The problem is we’re focusing on the underside of The Tapestry, while the Lord sees the top where He is creating something significant and beautiful.

The well-known poem, Life is But a Weaving, written by holocaust survivor, Corrie ten Boom, skillfully expresses this reality. Fittingly, it is sometimes called The Tapestry Poem.

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

What a comfort in times of trouble, grief, and uncertainty!  I’m not the victim of fate, just hoping that my destiny isn’t too terribly bad.  No, the threads of my life are in the sovereign, tender, strong grip of One who knows exactly the pattern He is creating.  It may look like a confusing hodgepodge to me. But like the Psalmist, I choose to trust the Lord, because I know and I am eternally grateful that my times…my life…my tapestry is in His hands.

Soli Deo Gloria