Underneath the Tapestry

This is my testimony. I am the girl who sees my life from the wrong side of heaven.

A young girl sat at her grandmother's feet as she was embroidering. The little girl scampered around playing with paper dolls and a few legos. Every now and again she would look up at the material her grandmother was holding. She couldn't figure out what she was doing. There were strings everywhere and things seemed mis-matched all over. She continued playing but continued wondering. After a while, she asked her grandmother what she was doing. The elderly grandmother told her she was creating a masterpiece. The little girl simply giggled - that didn't make any sense, of course. So, she went back to playing.

One last time, she looked up at the material with all the strings and all the knots. The wise grandmother could feel her curiosity. She waited only a moment longer and told the little girl to come sit by her and see the masterpiece. The little girl climbed on the floral sofa and was amazed at what she saw. It was simply breathtaking.

The grandmother explained that the thread had to criss-cross on the back so she could get it in the perfect place on the top side. When the thread ran out, she had to tie a knot so it could hold on. To create a beautiful picture, it took all colors of thread - sometimes in random places. But, at the end, it was perfect!

We get frustrated with our knots and criss-cross strings in life. Sometimes the patterns don't make sense. But, the problem is - we are looking at things from the wrong perspective. We are like the little girl - playing with the activities of life, glancing up now and again to try to make sense of things. This side of heaven, life looks a little messy. It looks like there is no rhyme or reason to the patchwork we see.

But, one day - one glorious day - we will meet our maker and we will see our life portrait in the art gallery and we will understand all the mixed-up colors and the knots. We will see that our tapestry is perfect - created with care and precision. And, that will truly be a day that makes all the difference!

The challenge for today is that remember our perspective - that we see underneath the tapestry of our lives. During times of criss-crossed threads and knots, let us not lose faith. Let us remember that we will understand those patterns one day as we trust the One who has our lives in the palm of His hand.