Ihave always found ancient Israel and Middle Eastern countries fascinating for many reasons. One of which would be how rich their culture is, especially their work of Art. Middle Eastern synagogues or castles were always beautifully decorated and lavished with every precious metal that there is. Out of the many ornaments used for decoration, the idea behind a tapestry always stood out for me. It is amazing that thoughts and ideas could be graphically captured and woven on textile material.

A Tapestry is a piece of cloth or textile with an image embroidered on it. The making of it is unique as several coloured and disjointed threads are woven together to form an exact image or pattern. Every warp of thread is perfectly hidden to make the entire artwork appear seamless. (This often reminds me of Jesus’ seamless cloth.)

Whenever I consider the journey of a believer, I see a carefully designed path, lavished with grace, with the intent of projecting a perfect portrait of Christ. Every experience we go through is like a different run of threads that embroider the full image of Christ in us. Our lives are like Canvases, with God as the Master Artist, working out the perfect image of His son.

Scripture is full of several examples of men with diverse experiences and backgrounds, but God weaved them all together to reveal a perfect portrait of Himself. They were made by trials and all they passed through. In fact, you can’t separate them from their experiences. Those are what made them.

David was described as a “man of valour” before Saul (1 Samuel 16: 18) long before Goliath happened. In fact, It was Goliath’s story that made us understand that the “bears and the Lions” were at the backend of this Valiant man. His experiences were his bragging right. He could boast in God because his life was a portrait of God’s strength and deliverance.

For Jacob, his only credential before Pharaoh was very strange. He didn’t glory in the fact that he had a Prime Minister as a son, but rather in the many years of his Pilgrimage. His experiences made him a portrait of God’s power to create a new beginning and to command blessings. He was so audacious that he did the unthinkable. Imagine an Asylum seeker blessing the President of his host country (Gen 47 vs 10). Jacob was conscious of who He represents.

Abraham was a Portrait of faith, patience and blessings. He lived as a stranger in the given land, moving from tent to tent all his life. Joseph was a portrait of endurance, meekness and grace. He interpreted all his experiences through the lens of God’s word.

With God, there are no coincidences. Every happening, occurrence and experience around you can be weaved by Him to make a perfect portrait. Don’t be too quick to judge happenings around you. It might just be another piece of thread by which God is about to make something beautiful out of you. See your life as a Tapestry of Grace. Apostle James has a deep perspective of this in his book.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.

— James 1:2–5 MSG.

Just like Joseph, interpret happenings around you through the lens of God’s word. He knew that his brothers were simply playing a part in the tapestry of blessing God was making him into. That is the Wisdom James was talking about. God’s word helps to bring the right perspective to all things. Tests and Challenges without the understanding of God’s perspective is a sure means of getting depressed. Wisdom is like a light that illuminates all things. Our experiences, when judged through the Word of the Lord, are what delivers God to us. This is how men are made.

God is making us all into living epistles. He’s writing a story with our lives. He has set up our lives as canvases, ready to make known a dimension of himself to the whole world. Our response should be yieldedness and constant prayer for eyes of understanding to be enlightened. Enlightenment brings perspective, which brings yieldedness.

As we go this week, have a renewed hope, knowing that God is fully in charge. You are too precious for anything about you to be a coincidence. You are carefully crafted and being made into a Tapestry of Grace. You are God’s masterpiece, prepared for good things.

Cheers…

Dami Awosanmi