A classic poem, The Weaver, written by Benjamin M. Franklin and quoted frequently by Corrie ten Boom speaks to the age-old quandry of contentment amidst uncertainty…
My life is just a weaving
Between my Lord and me.
I cannot change the color
For He works most steadily.Oft times He weaves the sorrow
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.Until the loom is silent
And the shuttle cease to fly,
Will God roll back the canvas
And explain the reason why.The dark threads are as needful
In the skillful Weaver’s Hand
As the golden threads of silver
He has patterned in His Plan.
God weaves. God alone. Soli Deo. The tapestry is most oft times beyond my comprehension.
I treasure glimpses of the upperside that I am allowed to view. It is a lengthy journey and I continue to learn. I find that less and less frequently do I demand explanation for God’s action and inaction.
Yet … I still have much to learn. I occasionally feel the need to lend a “helping” hand with the weave. When threads look messy and loose ends hang down, I begin to tie them up. My longing for order and explanation fuels my efforts to tidy up the underside.
But, alas, this disrupts God’s upperside plan.
The Lord’s design is perfect, regardless of my impatience and lack of understanding. Ultimately, the Weaver’s pattern prevails.
So I strive to enjoy the weaving as the shuttle goes to and fro. Patience and perseverance gently join me on the path. Meanwhile, hope emerges as I rest in the peace of the tapestry’s underside.
Posted by Sharon R Hoover
Photo Credit: madelinetosh via photopin cc
Thank you for sharing this poem & also appreciated your entry on journaling to help heal through grieving. I am currently struggling quite a bit, as I’m losing my grandmother to cancer. She has been more than my grandmother; she’s been my best friend, my rock, the only person throughout my life that has stuck by my side regardless of my struggles or troubling predicaments. She’s never said a harsh word nor made negative comments, and my life’s been quite a rocky roller-coaster. It’s been even so much more difficult with how quickly this inoperable, non-responsive to chemo or any treatment (they’ve tried immunotherapy and such), only to have it land her in an isolation “bubble room” with severe pneumonia & nearly non-existent WBC, to a week later (less than 2wks after having found the Stage 4 Liver Cancer, after just a few months earlier having found out the inoperable Lung cancer she’d been diagnosed with & undergone intensive chemo + radiation treatments for 5 days/wk for 6wks was blessedly in remission). They released her from the hospital Friday, July 29th – exactly a week after being admitted through the ER & swiftly whisked away into the isolation room she spent that following week – telling her to call the family bc there is nothing further [treatment-wise] that can be done, so they sent her home: bedridden into a hospital bed & hooked up with hospice. Her health quickly took a turn for the worst & continues to drastically decline daily. At this point, “that [dreaded] call” could literally come any day. The anticipatory grief has been a huge struggle, especially with how fast everything has happened. She is upbeat & not scared though, for her faith is & has always been strong and she feels blessed to have so much love – even though the majority of the family is across the country (3000+ miles away) – and is thankful for the incredible life she’s had. She knows “The Big Guy Up There,” as she often refers to Him, will greet her at Heaven’s Gates. She just doesn’t want any of us – family & friends who love her so very much – to be sad or unhappy, and truthfully it’s an everyday struggle for me… already was & has been most of my life, especially have had quite a rough past year (as I struggle with chronic pain, other chronic physical issues, & chronic mental illnesses already). I’ve always tried hard to cling to my faith during my darkest times, but especially lately it’s been even more of a struggle. So this poem [and the other post of yours I previously mentioned] have truly touched me. I wrote notes & ‘quotations’ from your entry, and have written this poem down as well. I know that along with my grandmother not wanting my inevitable loss of her to disrupt my faith of all things… so I am searching & reading up on things, which is how I ran across your blog post pinned onto Pinterest, to try to help me through these very difficult moments. Again, thank you.
I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother. What a difficult time for you as you watch someone you love in such pain. Grief is a hard thing to put into words. The intense feelings overwhelm and touch into all aspects of our life. May the Lord’s presence push through and bring His peace to your own precious soul.
Thanks for this reminder, Sharon. I have a few “errant threads” right now, and this encouraged me today and reminded me that He is working behind the scenes. :)
Hi Lyli! The challenge of focusing on God and not the errant threads sometimes takes every faith-muscle I can muster! Thanks for joining in the conversation. I’ll “see” you tomorrow in our facebook discipleship group!
Love this poem. It really catches up my life story.
And what an amazing tapestry your life story is, Carol! Even with all of its complexities and challenges, you bear such beautiful witness to God’s presence.