Two Sides of a Masterpiece

 

The large, beautiful tapestry hung in the hallway of the home where I grew up. My parents purchased it while living in Berlin, Germany, as my dad took his turn serving our country in the United States Army in the 1960s. The front side of this work of art was a stunning scene of deer standing among snowy trees in the darkness. I thought it was beautiful. As a child, when no one was looking, I loved to run my fingers over the tapestry and feel the velvety threads, seeing how the sheen of the knap changed depending on which way I brushed the surface. Also, I was very curious about the backside of the wall hanging, so one day, after getting up enough courage to loosen a corner, I glanced at the underside of the tapestry. I was amazed to find a smooth back with no stray threads and somewhat of the same image the front side bore, yet just a little duller in color. How was that possible, I wondered, to have perfection on both sides? I had expected to see wild patterns of knotted threads with no beginning or end. It was a masterpiece of perfection, certainly created by a master weaver; otherwise, the backside of this tapestry would have looked much like I expected - disorganized, messy, and bearing a lot of knotted threads with hopes all the stray string could keep it together.

Our lives are very much like a tapestry. Double-sided by design. On one side, the threads sometimes portray a perfect picture of smooth sailing, success, and life satisfaction, all of which are known as the "lovelies" of life. The back side, if others could see, would depict a very different story. On the backside, which is unseen, are the struggles of life illustrated by all the wayward strings with knots here and there, looking as if they did not know where they belonged. Here, there are bumps in the thread and chaotic patterns of weaving, and all in all, the display looks disorderly, out of control, and messy. It is here that our life tapestry tells the truth about us. That is, sometimes life doesn't go as planned. Regardless of the side we are looking at, the question of "How can this be?" seems to surface. Sometimes, we ask this question in gratitude for blessings that seem to come from nowhere. At other times, we ask because, in all honesty, we have been challenged by circumstances that push us beyond our limits, and we need answers. Neither side of our life tapestry is a mirrored image. We are not master weavers, and so the doubt and questions begin to surface.

 "Lord, my life looks like anything but a tapestry. There is no exquisiteness here that I can see."

"You don't see it? I do. Your life tapestry is full of everything you are. I like what you are, and so when I look at it, I only see perfection."

"Okay," you reply. The front side may be okay. It's easy to give the appearance of having it all together. You know, surface stuff. But Lord, it's the backside I am worried about."

"Why does it worry you, my child?"

"Oh, for so many reasons, Lord. For starters, the threadwork is full of inconsistencies, which makes the pattern quite unclear. In some places, it is very smooth, yet in others, it is quite bumpy and is covered with knotted threads. There are loose pieces that are not part of the design. Some of the stray pieces have been broken and tied again to other strings to smooth the surface. Lord, it's not a pretty picture, not all of it, anyway. For the most part, to me, it looks like a jumbled mess – certainly less than lovely."

"All that you say is true, my child, if you look at it through your eyes. Look again. Gaze on the handiwork through my eyes. When you are frustrated with the inconsistencies in the picture and the pattern is unclear and littered with knotted string and stray pieces tied untidily that seem to belong nowhere, know that I see only beauty. For this is the time I did my greatest work in you. It was then that I mended you in your sadness, pursued you when you were lost, and extended boundless grace to you when you were in desperate need of it. The knots and the seemingly mismatched strings that were broken and tied again represent the times I grafted you back into the vine (that's me) because in your brokenness, sometimes you wandered too far from me. I am always pursuing you, my child.  Don't be surprised when I say that this less-than-perfect side is more beautiful than the other. It represents my constant presence as I have woven together your life thread by thread, piece by piece, for a most glorious purpose."

Simply knowing how God sees us should inspire us to deepen our faith and, from that faith, to take action. Can you trust God? Can you take Him at His word? Do not rush over those two questions. Ponder them, think about them, and decide. Can you? If so, will you? Regardless of how bumpy or smooth life is, He has made it plain that we are His masterpieces. He is calling each of us to join Him in His purpose for our lives. Our imperfections are acceptable. In fact, they are required as He shapes us and completes in us all that he has purposed to do in our lives. Imperfection is where He always begins a masterpiece.

 

"I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills His purpose for me."

Psalms 57:2