Stitched with Love

A recent sermon at our church made a lasting impression on me. The sermon illustration focused on a small boy who was sitting on the floor and watching his mother or his grandmother work at embroidery. The task took a lot of time and as the boy watched all he could see was a bunch of colored threads that were criss-crossed every which way and didn’t look like much of anything. The little boy watched day after day while the work carefully and meticulously proceeded. Some days he would forget about the project and spend time outside with his friends or just being a boy. But on one very special day when he saw his grandmother, she called him and put him up on her lap. From her perspective he could see that what looked disorganized really was a beautiful purple flower with open petals and a butterfly perching quietly on top of the flower. The real beauty was not what he had seen from underneath but rather it was the picture on top that revealed the real beauty.

The parallel from this story has a specific lesson for the Christian who is trying to serve the Lord. In my busy life and the day to day activities I may feel like I am not accomplishing very much. I have days when I am tired and quite unproductive and other days when I feel more satisfied with what I have done. On some days I spend time with the Lord and am more sensitive to others; on other days I get busy and preoccupied with other things. I have a full range of emotions and on some days I feel joyful or happy while on other days I am depressed or angry. Accomplishments seem to take so much work and more than once I wonder if it is worth all the effort. I am looking at the underneath side of God’s pattern for my life. I only see the little things; the problems and struggles block my view of seeing exactly what the Master is doing with my life. But He has the master plan for my life and He sees the finished product. He knows just what my life can become and He is the one who adds the right colors to the pattern to make it beautiful and pleasing to His sight.

So, when the glimpse into the window of my soul seems fuzzy and unclear, it’s time to remember just who is watching over me and let Him show me the right path. He holds the stitches together and adds the silver lining to my own life pattern. Yes, God can do more with my own life than I can. His stitches are perfect and form a completed pattern that some day I will be able to see from the Master’s viewpoint.