We had just finished remodeling our 1930s-era brick colonial home on a peaceful, tree-lined street where we had only lived five months when my husband got a great job offer.
As he told me the news, my eyes followed the tidy and intricately woven lines of our living room rug, and my heart sank. It has been one move after another. I am actually starting to lose count — but it is somewhere around twenty-three.
I longed to see in my own life what I saw in the rug: a pattern that made sense.
Will I ever be settled enough to see a this pattern emerge? Or will my life just stay a frantic mess of threads?
“Not again, Lord. Can’t I just put down roots somewhere? And, God, I just got a bathroom with white subway tile.”
Taking this job meant an out-of-state move on the heels of the recent cross-town one. It meant pulling the kids out of school, leaving family, packing boxes; and then unpacking, church shopping, friend dating, and Google-mapping the grocery store on the other side. There were many reasons we shouldn’t go, and it felt like everything we had just sewn would be unraveled.
But we knew the Lord had swung this door wide open for us. So we prayerfully decided we would go.
A wise woman once said that God’s promises are often best understood looking back. All of my moving has confirmed that. When God is ready to bring you into something else, He does miraculous work in the details — not so we can have perfect lives, but so He can show His power.
We sold our renovated home to friends in a day without putting it on the market, and we basically broke even, so that alone was confirming. But God did not stop there, He has continued to bring a flow of people and happenings that affirm the move.
Not everything has been easy. A family member stopped talking to us because we left, and there is still healing to be done in that situation. There was the mess of unpacking, a new culture we’re continuing to navigate, and plenty of loneliness. But overall, I am in awe watching him work.
God is weaving an intricate web all around the world, using each person and every circumstance.
No detail is out of his reach. No nuance too small. He is crafting a tapestry that tells His story, to bring glory to His name.
You, love, are a fine thread in that tapestry. The end result is going to be beautiful, but right now you can only see from your one thread perspective. Sometimes you will be weaved under and your view goes dark. At times you’ll soar as He pulls you up into a new stitch. You trust the Weaver of Things, whether it is dark or light from where you’re lying, because only He can see the grand design.
The promise I see looking back on this life change? He goes before you and me.
In every circumstance of life, there will always be a set of footprints on the trail ahead.
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” {Deuteronomy 31:8, NLT}
When changes come, fear and anxiety may arise to pester us, but we have an Advocate to help us through. The Lord is never surprised. Wherever you are going, He is already there, and He gently reaches a hand back to help you move forward. When it seems like He is unraveling your thread, He is simply altering something to complete His design.
He will not abandon you. He might ask you to leave your pretty new subway tile, or something far more significant, but He always has something in store what fits with His plan. He is twisting and turning the fibers of our lives — our good times and our hard times — into something beautiful.
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Related: From quiet reflection during morning coffee to conversations across a conference table, this fun jumbo-sized mug provides an opportunity to plant and nourish a seed of Scripture in your heart and in the hearts of friends and co-workers.
Leave a Comment
Anna finley says
Perfect reading for me this morning….thx…….
Heidi@TheBlessedNest says
So glad, Anna. May you find rest in his consistency in the midst of your life changes.
Kirsten Lasinski says
So encouraging, Heidi! Thank you for this vital reminder of God’s faithfulness.
Heidi@TheBlessedNest says
Thanks Kirsten! You must be feeling some of this being woven in your life changes right now. Thinking of you and love you.
Amy M says
Love this! God really does have a plan and a pattern in what looks like crazy to us. I’ve had that feeling of struggling to put down roots, too. I hope you are able to rest and see the good things God has in store with your move.
Heidi@TheBlessedNest says
Thanks, Amy! Maybe some of us are called to keep short roots to our places and deeper roots to our source. Though I wouldn’t mind if I got to stay in one place for awhile. Blessings on your week!
Jenny Howell says
“Not so we can have perfect lives… But so He can show his power.” Thank you for speaking that hard reality Heidi. Needed to hear this this afternoon. We’ve had some hard moves also… He’s always shown up.
Heidi@TheBlessedNest says
Thanks Jenny! May the comfort of resting in his power and plan give you peace today.
Carrie Smith says
I’ve always appreciated the imagery of God’s tapestry & how we often see the underside from our perspective (messy, knotted, jumbled, etc.) and look forward to the day when God shows us what He sees – the beautiful picture being created. I love perspective of being a thread in the tapestry – not just looking at it – because we do have ups & downs and we will be tugged and pulled. But, most importantly, we are always and will always be in the Father’s hands. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Heidi@TheBlessedNest says
Ooh, I love that you’ve carried this image with you. Thanks for sharing! I imagine in eternity, we’ll get to see this giant finished tapestry. 🙂
Cathy Wheeler says
After being with your family this weekend, I see a strong tapestry being beautifully woven. It is surely strong enough to withstand tugging and pulling, as Christ is so definitely your family’s guide. Very comforting piece, Heidi!
Heidi@TheBlessedNest says
Aww, thanks Cath. Your thread is tightly interwoven with ours. We love you!
Lois Frerichs-Hughey says
Heidi, as my family is looking at move #14, with two teenagers in tow and another new country, I was in tears this morning. We are facing so many obstacles, but the reminder that God has already been there, He alone knows the outcome, and it will be beautiful was exactly the reminder that I needed this morning. As my Mom has always said, “Has He ever let you down before?” God’s blessings in your transition.
Heidi@TheBlessedNest says
Lois, that sounds like so much to manage! But I trust that as you look back, you will see exactly why God has called you to where you are going and will shower you with his peace, new friendships and confirmation. Blessings to you as well!
Kim says
My life revealed from the “looking back” after 17 moves in 31 years of marriage, then 14 moves in 10 years without marriage comes rushing to mind in this story. ( No one in my life to date, except my former husband who is no longer in my life, can relate.) Yet, here You are a stranger who has also “lived it.” Bless you for being Spirit-led to share.
Yes, just as the correlation of all the different people being God’s tapestry (a weaving) so can we use this illustration for our lives.
I agree that he has often woven my life on the underside or dark side of the weaving. Yet to truly trust his wisdom leads me to know that underside reveals his glory on the topside.
Thank You.
Bless You.
Kim*
Heidi@TheBlessedNest says
Sometimes God gives us stranger-sisters to relate to! Thanks for sharing your story and though I am guessing some of the trials you must have been encountered challenged your faith, they also provided a solid foundation as you have seen God work. Blessings sister. Heidi