Creation
We are confident of this, that he who began a good work in
you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phillipians
1:6
Lately, in all my spare time, I have been doing counted
cross-stitch again. It is relaxing (much
more so now that I have bifocals) and it is fun to see a picture emerge onto a
blank canvas. There is a pattern to go by and directions. I have had to
realize, though, that no matter how carefully I count and try to match colors,
my design does not always look like the pattern. I have to adjust and let it be
OK.I have discovered that as great as the front of the canvas looks, the back
is usually a tangled, knotted mess. I can either get frustrated and stop, or I
can understand that no one is going to turn my creation over and inspect it for
flaws. In most patterns that I have done, the instructions say to use more than
one strand. The floss is thin and would snap or tangle with just one piece. The
one place where the instructions usually say to use one strand is with
backstitching. This is a finishing step to add detail and contrast, and is
typically done using dark colored thread.
Isn’t it fun to see God’s plan and glory emerge in our lives
and the lives of those we love? God the Creator is still creating. He has given
us a pattern to imitate in Jesus and directions to follow in the Bible. Just as
I often miscount my stitches, I often step out of God’s plan and may miss what
He intended. I do not look the pattern Je left me in Jesus. When I do He doesn’t
crumple up the plan and leave me to my own devices. He leads me in a different
direction and makes beauty out of my mess, using it for his Glory. One of my
favorite scriptures is the story of Jeremiah in the potter’s house. The vessel
was marred in the potter’s hand and he fashioned it into something new. God
asks Jeremiah, “Cannot I not do the same with you, oh house of Israel?”
(Jeremiah 18:1-7)
We know ourselves and our flaws, and are looking at the
inside of our hearts, minds and souls, often comparing them to the outside of
other people’s lives. We feel guilty and unworthy of God’s love and of being
used by Him. God sees us, instead, through the filter of Jesus’ blood. For
instance, if I am honest, today I am angry with God. We had prayed for healing
for a friend and it is not looking like it will happen. I know all the pretty
words about how death is the ultimate healing, and how God’s will is perfect,
but I feel like God let us down. I look from inside and see the anger and doubt
and think God must be really ashamed of me right now. He sees me through the
blood and is honored by the fact that I showed up at church this week and sang
praises even with my arms crossed and tears in my eyes. Which brings us to the
point that we are not in this alone, and just as the floss is weak by itself,
so we need each other to be strong. (Ecclesiastes 5:9, Galatians 6:2-5) I know
that the times in my life that have been dark have outlined God’s grace and
glory in my life. Joseph told his brothers when he revealed his identity, “you
meant this for evil, but God has used it for good.(Genesis 48:1-12) Romans 8:28
tells us the same thing . I swore in the middle of those times that God had
forgotten me and there was no way anything good could come out of this, but I
know that he has been faithful.
Like a picture emerging on a canvas, God is creating
something in you. The best news, as we see in Phillipians 1:6 is that he is not
done with his creation. We are confident
of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus. Look for his beauty in your life and in others.
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