Mess to Masterpiece

Years ago, I dabbled in cross-stitch needlework, long before I ever saw spiritual meaning in everyday occurrences and objects. Looking at the backside of the canvas with its mosaic of dark threads, tangled knots, and ripped-out stitches, I wondered, “Would this project EVER look like the picture on the cover?”

How similar the tapestry is to the messiness of life. On the backside are all our wrong choices, trials, and situations we’d like to do over. Many of those circumstances are out of our control. Sometimes they are a result of the fallen world we live in. Others are our own doing when we’ve gone against God’s standards and allowed our flesh to rule.

We don’t always know how God is working through the backside of our rough edges and tangled threads to produce an exquisite masterpiece on the other side. But we do know He never wastes any hardship to refine us and make us more like Him. We truly are a work in progress – His work.

How can God possibly make a beautiful masterpiece out of all our mess? How do we get from the ashes to the beauty He promises in Isaiah 61:3? The answer: The Cross. On that great Shabbat in the synagogue, Jesus declared He fulfilled Isaiah 61:3 (see Luke 4:18). In between the storms and the sins – that messy middle only you and He know about, He transforms the mess into victory.

The tapestry is a reminder of hope ahead in your darkest days and nights. That beautiful finished picture is the fruit we bear as we persevere through life’s storms. The best part is God doesn’t look at the backside anymore once you’ve made Jesus your Lord and Savior. He sees the beautiful masterpiece you were created to be through the sacrifice of your Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.