OUR MASTER WEAVER
In times past, when creating a Persian rug, a master weaver tightly stretched cloth across a wooden frame. With his assistant on the other side, he began issuing orders, directing the apprentice to strategically sew various colored thread into the cloth. Often, the assistant made a mistake, by placing the wrong-colored thread in an improper place. A true craftsman didn’t need to go back and reverse the blunder. The artisan incorporated his aide’s flub-up into the design of the rug, creating a masterpiece out of his worker’s mistake.
God often works the same way with us. Over the span of our days, he is weaving a beautiful tapestry out of our lives. On a daily basis, we make mistakes. Rather than stepping in every time we mess up, the Lord incorporates our failures into the fabric of our lives, producing a beautiful work of art.
In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes, “For we are God’s masterpiece” (NLT). In Philippians 1:6 he adds, “I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus” (CEB). God doesn’t throw us on the scrap pile because we make mistakes. Otherwise, we’re all in trouble.
Samson is a great example. Over his lifetime, his actions appeared to be a string of poor choices. But in the end, Samson died to save his people, and he’s listed in the “Hall of Faith” as one of God’s masterpieces (Hebrews 11:32).
But there’s something else to the story. As the apprentice labors, his work appears to be a mess of thread, with no beauty whatsoever. Perhaps he even questions the directions of the master weaver. But his perspective is warped—for one simple reason. He’s looking at the wrong side of the rug! Likewise, as we struggle day-to-day with hardship and pain, perhaps to us, our lives appear to be a mess with little value. We question God’s actions. But only our Master Weaver has the proper perspective.
When we reach the end of our days, and step to the other side of the rug, the Master Artist will reveal the tapestry of our lives. We may be shocked to discover that some the most beautiful designs come from our darkest experiences. At that point, we’ll gasp and glorify the Master Artist for his amazing skills. For only the Creator can turn our mess into a masterpiece.
Principle: God incorporates our mistakes into the fabric of our lives to create a masterpiece.
Ponder:
How does the story of the master weaver and his assistant encourage you when you fail?
Looking back over your life, when have you experienced God bringing something beautiful out of mistakes you’ve made?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Samson’s life in Judges 13-16.
Prayer: Lord God, as the Master Artist, I praise you for the masterpiece you are creating out of my life. I thank you for incorporating my mistakes into that tapestry.
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