"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Good morning, ladies!
Once upon a time, in another lifetime I call B.C. (before children), I had several meticulous, painstaking hobbies.
Like thinking.
In complete sentences.
And...cross stitch.
Writing that reminds me that I have several unfinished projects in a canvas tote behind the door, waiting for that moment of inspiration and clarity when I will sit down again, needle in hand, and create objects of beauty like the one in the photo here.
Maybe. When I'm a grandma.
I am not an artistic person. I have never been able to draw or paint. I leave that honor to my very talented 13 year old daughter. However, needle in one hand and pattern in the other, I could pretend that I was creating a masterpiece stitch by stitch, like brush strokes on a master's canvas. I love that moment when the last backstitching is done, the final initials sewn, the edges basted and the whole project delicately washed, ironed, and framed.
Beautiful.
At least, on one side.
Once the cross stitch is framed, no one sees the missed stitches, the loose threads, the general messiness of the underside of the canvas. No one ever asks to look at the other side, and I am certainly not going to show it off. That secret, as the creator of the canvas, is mine alone.
Life sure seems like a mess at times, doesn't it? My life ressembles the underside of that canvas. Some parts are so clear that the finished pattern is almost recognizable. Other parts are full of imperfect lines and uneven threads snagged in seemingly random chaos. While I catch glimpses of the finished product while I'm stitching away, I realize that until the last touches are completed, it will still look like, well, a mess in progress.
My "masterpiece" here on earth is not complete. God is still perfecting the finished product. He is adding colors, pulling threads tighter, snipping away what is not needed, so that one day I will ressemble the perfect image of His Son Jesus.
I am looking up at the underside of the canvas, but He looks down on the finished picture.
And it's beautiful.
When things arrive today that I don't understand, when "bad things" happen and I am tempted to quit along the way, may God help me to remember the beautiful work He is accomplishing in my life. And when the joys arrive, may I praise Him for the wonderful grace He gives me for another day as His canvas.
Maybe, I will be less of a mess at the end of the day, than I was when it started.
Life sure seems like a mess at times, doesn't it? My life ressembles the underside of that canvas. Some parts are so clear that the finished pattern is almost recognizable. Other parts are full of imperfect lines and uneven threads snagged in seemingly random chaos. While I catch glimpses of the finished product while I'm stitching away, I realize that until the last touches are completed, it will still look like, well, a mess in progress.
My "masterpiece" here on earth is not complete. God is still perfecting the finished product. He is adding colors, pulling threads tighter, snipping away what is not needed, so that one day I will ressemble the perfect image of His Son Jesus.
I am looking up at the underside of the canvas, but He looks down on the finished picture.
And it's beautiful.
When things arrive today that I don't understand, when "bad things" happen and I am tempted to quit along the way, may God help me to remember the beautiful work He is accomplishing in my life. And when the joys arrive, may I praise Him for the wonderful grace He gives me for another day as His canvas.
Maybe, I will be less of a mess at the end of the day, than I was when it started.
Just A Weaver | |||
| by Benjamine Malachi Franklin | |||
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