Perspective

I have alway been fascinated by the analogy of life as a tapestry.  While it may be a well worn idea, there are still multiple levels of inspiration which can be drawn from the symbolism. A tapestry is a form of textile art where images are sewn into material.  On the surface, beautiful and intricate patterns are displayed.  But upon viewing the art from underneath it looks like mangled threads of chaos, random and confused with no apparent sense of purpose.  When turned upright the same material becomes an organized and patterned work of art.  Each view perceived differently based on perspective.  

For those of us with any amount of life experience, we can look back to see the times in our lives filled with the most tangled events have worked to make us the picture of who we are today.  But often, only when looking back at the path of our lives can we determine perspective.  The picture of our lives becomes most clear when viewed in retrospect and are often “aha” moments where we understand and accept why we were directed down that path or why our lives followed that pattern.

Looking at the backside of a tapestry, the pattern may seem random without a plan.  However, any tapestry artist must have a plan for every thread.   In the artist’s mind is the end product which the viewer cannot see or understand when looking below the surface.  It would be no coincidence that a thread was placed in such a pattern. And where there is pattern, there is design; and where there is design, there is a designer (Chuck Missler, Khouse.org). Of course there are patterns that happen randomly in nature such as snowflakes, crystals, and cloud formations (Evo2.org), but I am talking about the patterns of LIFE.

I have always found it interesting at how we look at evidence from history and wonder about the designer behind the artifacts.  The Taj Mahal, the Egyption Pyramids, and StoneHenge have all been heavily researched in an effort to discover their ownership and purpose of design.  And yet to consider a designer of human, plant, or animal life is an entirely different matter.

In our times of advanced knowledge and learning, we have theories to explain away the origins of life in order to deny a Higher Power behind the scenes of our world.  The Bible tells us that “The heavens declare the the glory of God; the skys declare the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1 NIV).  In other words, through observation of the complexity of our world through nature we can see the fingerprint of God’s design. 

According to an article by Nathaniel Scharping entitled, “Earth May be a 1-in-700 Quintillion Kind of Place”, there may be only one planet capable of supporting life (Discovermagazine.com).  The article sites works completed by Astrophysicist Erick Zackrisson from Uppsala University in Sweden who suggests that for life to exist, there must be a “Goldilocks” kind of event for temperature and the presence of water on a planet, not too hot or not too cold but just right to support life.  The statistical probability of the “just right” zone sounds like a miracle to me.  A miracle is defined as: “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency” (Oxford.com).

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be an accident.  I want to be all the Bible says about me. I want to know that God “knit me in my mother’s womb” and that I am “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13 -14 NIV).  I want to know that I am loved, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 NIV).  I want to be free, “If you abide in My Word….you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free (John 8:31-32 NIV).  I want to know that I was planned by God, “…all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16 NIV). And I want to know I have purpose, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

Wouldn’t you prefer for the God of the Bible to be the artist of your life?  Words cannot communicate the freedom, hope, and love this can bring in the midst of the uncertain and out of control times in which we currently live.  He can bring purpose and comfort out of the chaos if you choose to listen for His voice, accept His gift from the cross through Christ, and allow Him to weave His scarlet thread into the tapestry of your life.