This week at our women’s Bible study, the Lord demonstrated His love toward me in a special way.
Our group leader described the making of a tapestry to illustrate a truth in our lives. She explained that the underside of a tapestry typically has many unsightly knots that are often created in the process of producing the masterpiece on the front side. As in the process of our lives, those “knots” represent “flaws” or “mistakes” that we have made. Another gal chimed in saying that those same knots also have another purpose, and that is, they provide strength and durability to the overall tapestry! Interesting!!
While thinking about all this, I realized that the “mistakes” I have made in my life – those “flaws”: poor decisions, disobedience to the Lord’s commands, not listening to His still small voice (1 Kings 19:12), choosing His permissive will over His perfect will (Romans 12:2), missing the mark (Philippians 3:14), have resulted in regrets, followed by repentance, on my part. But all this reminded me that because of His love, our Heavenly Father sent Jesus for that very reason, to work in us a tapestry reflecting His glory.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.
I find more expressions of Christ’s love, in the Truth of His Word in
2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Or….
Romans 8:28, “….all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Or….
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.”
Well, after all this contemplation, I just “happened” to come across and read an article entitled Tapestry of Grace by Mark Johnson. Among the many points he shared, this one sums it up so well for me: “….the real hero on every page of Scripture is God – not man….God brings glory to Himself through imperfect people who are rich in faith.”
In closing, with the Lord confirming twice this understanding in me, this week, I am reminded anew of Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”(NKJV).
God's Word To Us 