“At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:12 (NAB)
My mother was talented in so many areas. She was an excellent seamstress, a water color artist and very gifted in the craft of embroidery. She once made me a beautiful tapestry embroidered picture which I still have in a frame. As I looked at it one day, I thought of the well known metaphor of the tapestry.
The backside of an embroidered work of tapestry appears as a cluster of multi colored threads that make no sense. No picture can be seen from looking at the back of a tapestry, but from the front, it is a beautiful work of art. In the same way, we cannot make sense out of the illnesses, losses and tragedies that we experience, but one day, we will see the front side of the tapestry of our lives.
People of faith trust that there is a design to the sorrows and trials woven throughout our lifetime, like the threads in a tapestry. Research has proven that those who have faith in God, trusting in him as a Master designer, have better outcomes to medical treatment, and live longer and healthier lives.
Jesus never promised a trouble free existence, but He assured us that He will lift and lighten our burdens, when we come into Him.
(Matthew 11:28-30)
I said something like this once to a lady who had lost her husband, without knowing her faith outlook. She asked, “How is losing someone I loved lifting my burden?”
I started to explain my point, but then decided to simply acknowledge her suffering, and make a point of telling her that God loves her and that I would pray for her.
After our conversation she thanked me for the kind words, but I realized how much harder life is for someone living without faith in God.
The tapestry metaphor doesn’t only apply to those who have lost a loved one, it refers to any loss that is confusing or hard to understand. It can refer to the loss of a relationship, loss of health, or anything in life that puzzles us and leaves us with unanswered questions.
Without faith and hope in God, no one could survive the sorrow that a loss can cause. The tapestry reminds us that people of faith trust in a Supreme Designer, even when we can’t see the front side of His design. For now it looks like a mass of jumbled threads or a blurry reflection in a mirror, but we believe that God is the designer of the tapestry in each person’s life. He takes our losses and turns them around for the good of our eternal souls.
If we look at the backside of the tapestry of Jesus’ life on earth, most unbelievers would say that He was an innocent victim of injustice, torture and murder through a political system that needed to be overthrown. He definitely was a lamb led to the slaughter, but the front side of His life’s tapestry reveals a completed and beautiful work of salvation.
In Jesus, we see the love and mercy of God, who never stops weaving opportunities for each of us to draw nearer to Him during our lifetime. The backside view looks like a mess and a tragedy, but God invites us to draw nearer to Him during those times.
Faith is knowing that there is a front side view to all the tapestries of our lives, even if we cannot see it now.
Let’s anchor our faith in the Master Designer, who knows how to weave a beautiful work through His choice of colors and threads in our tapestry. We may not always like the color of thread He chooses, but He knows how it will all work in the end, and His perfect design will benefit our souls for eternity. At present we know only partially, but one day we will know fully.
Lord, help us to trust that the tangled threads we see now, will one day reveal the front side of your perfect design in the tapestries of our lives. Amen
My mother’s handiwork-she told me that the boy is Jesus