Beyond What I Can See

God, I see you working your loom again

weaving the story of my life.

And dear Father, I don’t always understand your design.

Some of the tapestry is beautiful. 

I see the colors, textures, and intricate patterns where you say, “I love you,” “Made by God,” and “I am for you.” I even see your exquisite beadwork with pearls and precious stones. There is a divine touch.

But there are parts that don’t look good to me. 

Sometimes, these parts seem to say, “You lose,” “You don’t matter,” or “You are not loved.”

There is one specific area that has a terrible hole. It’s not even a snag but an outright hole. It doesn’t look good, it doesn’t feel good, it scratches against my skin constantly. I am always aware that it is there. I want it fixed, Lord. I want you to pull the threads and smooth them out. I’ve realized that I may never know why it is there. I may never understand until the end of time, and the last stitch is pulled until this intricate design is flipped over, revealing your magnificent effect. 

In my wrestling and healing, I pray that my life story points to you and to you alone. It hasn’t been easy; I am a human in pain. I know I have squirmed and even railed against you. I have screamed, “No! Not this! Never! This does not belong here”. 

Yet, I realize that I am not the Great Designer. I am only a part of your infinite piece of art. I like to think that these threads are for me and me alone. With my narrow focus I see only a speck of my life. Yet looking past myself, I see a loom so immense that it stretches much further than my human vision. There is something much bigger here, something so much more significant than my little corner of your work. You are the Master Designer weaving a tapestry of your story in which each of our stories add to the texture, the color, the pattern of a beautiful love story. A story that has much mystery for now.

Even in my confusion and pain, I can still praise you. I can praise you not because life goes the way I want but because you are with me in all my joys and sorrows. You are not done, so I choose to trust you again today.

Have you found a snag in the fabric of your life? Maybe it’s more than a snag, maybe it’s a colossal hole. Have you lost your way? Did life hand you divorce papers, a bankruptcy, a sentence? Did you lose your health? Did you have to say goodbye to your spouse, your parent, your sibling…or even your child? Does your life look as you’d always imagined? Are you waiting for that thing that will all of a sudden make everything beautiful or maybe even just bearable but it’s just not happening? Maybe you wonder if it ever will.

The scarlet thread of Jesus entwines throughout his infinite masterpiece - pulling all the pain, evil, and confusing parts into redemption for all who will allow his merciful hand. He, who gave his life for all, has woven his love from the beginning to the very end of your own story.

Will you trust him today? Will you trust his divine handiwork in your life, allowing him to redeem all that is torn and frayed?

Ecc 3:11 ”Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end“.