Isaiah was one of God’s prophets of the Old Testament.  His words are more needed more today than ever. We can take great comfort in God’s good will towards us. Read what he said:

Isaiah 61:1-3  The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Here’s another scripture to understand how God is working in our good times and bad.

Romans 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

If we could imagine our lives as a tapestry, what would we learn?    Would a tapestry be beautiful if it were all one color, or would many shades, colors and shadows be necessary for this type of art to be formed and appreciated?

Our lives would be dull, uninteresting, even meaningless, if every day was an unbroken stream of sunshine and happiness.  We enjoy the thought of living life without struggle and pain.  However, without opportunities to see the contrast between wonder and pain, beauty and ashes, we would be hollow shells.   There are many emotions and we should not fear any of them.  God in his infinite wisdom has a plan for teaching his children to appreciate the good and wise things we must learn to follow him.  How would we appreciate the wonder of a child’s birth or the delight of a wedding day without the experience of sorrow? 

The dark colors in the tapestry are our sorrows, failures, and pain.  Bright colors are the happiest times of our lives.  Soft or medium colors make up the balance of our lives which tend to more ordinary, even mundane.   If the entire tapestry was nothing but bright colors, it would be gaudy and garish. But when contrasted to the dark and medium colors, the bright colors are rare and stunning.  The blacks, grays and browns outline and showcase the beauty of the more lovely colors. In this same way, God must work sorrow, grief and long periods of patiently waiting into our lives to make a balanced creation.   He is careful to not give us more than we can handle.  His work is done with the care and precision of a supreme weaver.  The subtle colors, the dark and dreary colors, the bold and vivid colors, are all crucial to make the tapestry come to life.  God is forming each of his precious children into a masterpiece. 

Imagine trying to see a large, intricately woven masterpiece tapestry from a foot away.  If we stood a foot away from a large wall tapestry, we would miss the entire point. Like a complex tapestry,  a person’s life spans many seasons.   Our lives are not a snap shot.  We journey on through our childhood, teens, young adulthood and then into our mature and aging years.  We can’t see the beauty of a tapestry with a microscope.  We need a larger perspective.  God is walking with us through this extended journey that we call life.  He is working out many different vignettes of the tapestry through the years and events of our lives.   As others see our lives, they will hopefully see bits and pieces and they will be inspired to sojourn on with courage in their own lives.   I believe only the Lord has the capacity to see the entire magnificent tapestry that is our lives.  Therefore, he is the master weaver who knows exactly which strands of thread to use next.   We are his masterpiece, and what a flawless artist He is.  If we practice taking that step back, we will appreciate the variety of experiences and emotions at work within our world. We can breathe easy through each color of our tapestry, knowing that an artist is at work and we are in His loving hands.

I wonder if one day, when we reach our true home in heaven, more will be revealed to us on how about our lives touched and helped shape others around us. Maybe if there is such a thing, we will even see the tapestry that was created by our Savior’s hand while we were here on earth. 

Dear Heavenly Father in Heaven, help us to never be deceived into believing that we are insignificant or that our suffering is futile.  Bring each of us a new understanding of your love for us and your promise to trade beauty for our ashes.  Our emotions are not something to fear, but something to learn from.  Walk ever so close to us, Lord, as we encounter our own weaknesses.  Failures are a part of the human experience.  Help us to remember that you are closest to us when we are suffering.  We must not give in to despair, but need only to reach out to you in faith.  As we trust in you, you will work it all out and bring to life a beautiful masterpiece.

Suggested Songs:  Laura Story, Blessings                             

Rod Stewart, Who Designed the Snowflake