“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 a talented seamstress, water color artist and also 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 complicated mixture 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 illnesses, losses and tragedies we experience, but there may be a front side that we will one day see and understand more clearly.
People of faith trust that there is a design to the mixture of sorrows woven throughout a lifetime, like the threads in a tapestry. To have faith in God, as a Master designer has been proven to be healthier for the body and mind, but it’s essential for the soul.
Jesus never promised a trouble free existence, but He assured us that God wants to lift our heavy burdens. I said something like this once to a lady who lost her husband but didn’t have faith in God. She asked, “How is losing someone I loved lifting my burden?” As I started to explain my point, I decided instead to gently acknowledge her suffering, and made one final comment, telling her 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 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 life and through faith in Jesus, He will take any loss and turn it around for the good of someone’s eternal soul.
Looking at the backside of the tapestry of Jesus’ life on earth, the unbeliever would say He was a 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 tapestry reveals a completed and beautiful work of salvation. We see in Him the love and mercy of God, who never stops weaving opportunities for us to draw nearer to Him during our lifetime. The backside view looks like a tragedy but there is a front side to every life story.
Let’s anchor our faith in the one who knows how to weave the purpose and colors of the threads in our tapestry. Sometimes we may protest the color of thread He chooses, but He knows how it will work into His beautiful design and benefit our soul for eternity.
Lord Jesus, we will continue to pray for your design to be completed, and by faith we trust that we will see clearly one day, the front side of your perfect design in the tapestries of our lives. Amen