One of my favorite pastimes is reading Victoria magazine. I especially like the travel sections as they display the incredible talent of artists around the world. Recently they had an article on tapestries. While I’m not a fan of hanging tapestries on my walls, I can appreciate them within their castle settings. The outgrowth of these worlds of art covers my floors — Aubusson carpets.
I am awed by the intricacies of the design, the variety of weaving techniques and the embroidery. Some in Oslo, Norway, that took my breath away. And the castle walls in the United Kingdom showcase them beautifully.
As a landscape painter, I’m constantly assessing the beauty of the entire landscape in front of me, for short and long distant views. While I often focus on the wildflowers, the Lord always seems to captivate my imagination by the sheer variety and beauty of the surrounding landscapes, I wonder if the designers of tapestries were also painters.
The artist weaves colors onto a piece of fabric using an outdoor scene or one with participants in a historical setting as inspiration. He weaves each section with a certain size and type of stitches in a rainbow of colors. The work may look messy on the opposite side where the knots and threads appear haphazard, but it is far from undisciplined. The weaver knows precisely where he or she wants the colors and textures to appear. Search online and you will find examples of tapestries over 100 feet long!
Tapestry artwork is like the Lord’s work in our lives. He is in the business of weaving beautiful creations that reflect our lives. He places us in landscapes with others and then weaves a story of our days with those around us. When we get discouraged, we look at the underside of the tapestry, and forget there is a Master weaver at work. We are impatient with the time it takes for us to reach a goal we have in mind – find a spouse, get a promotion, have kids, retire early, etc. We think we are the weaver and often try to influence what He is doing instead of leaning into His work and appreciating what He has done, is doing now and acknowledging His sovereignty over our future. It’s fine to have an opinion about what He’s doing. It’s not fine to ask Him to bless what we want. He’s not in the business of making us happy. He’s intent on making new creations. And that sometimes means altering our lives to achieve His goal. Here is a quote that sums up my thoughts on this.
“God always gives His best to those who leave the choices with Him.” (1)
I just finished the best jigsaw puzzle ever. It was a colorful wash of bright zinnias and other flowers. I enjoyed every piece, even the hard parts. I think it gave me such pleasure because of the color and texture challenges. Finding pieces that go together is like finding friends the Lord brings into your life. It’s so satisfying when you find friends that love the Lord and want to walk with you through life. Putting these colorful pieces together is not unlike putting the various threads and design stitches on a tapestry or doing a puzzle. You begin with pieces of varied colors and gradually find their place. I’m so grateful for the friends that the Lord has blessed with over the years.
So, as you walk through your days, don’t look at the back of the tapestry or the scatter of pieces before you. Look up. The Master artist and Creator God has a beautiful plan and adventure for you to live!
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:17 NIV
- Warren Wiersbe, Heirs of the King, pg. 34
