If all you see is the backside, the side where the needle goes in and out seemingly at random; where knots are made and tied off; where stitches crisscross in an ugly way -- if that is all you see, the picture looks wrong and ugly and stupid.
And if you are looking at the wrong side of your life and all you see are knots and mess-ups and ugly balls of thread and then you go to God with your complaint about this ugliness and awkwardness in your life, your prayers are going to be filled with frustration, confusion, anger, disappointment and you might even want to quit. You might be tempted to say that God's way isn't working -- that people you know who are living the world's way have much prettier lives and an easier time of it (from what you see).
You might question Father God's love. You might say something like, God, if this is what loves means in your realm I'm done.
And if you did any of that, you'd be throwing away something you didn't even get a real good look at.
Somehow we gotta turn our view of life over and see it with God's eyes. He's not giving up. He's still working. Maybe that color makes no sense to you in that part of your life. Maybe that stitch hurts and seems so random. But from God's perspective it all makes sense cause He knows the picture He's making of your life.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
That picture He's weaving in your life, that story He's telling through your life to the world, is going to shine so much for Jesus. The light bulb doesn't perceive its glow. The candle flame doesn't know how well it penetrates the darkness. It just knows it is.
"He who promised is faithful," says Hebrews 10:23b
"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward." Hebrews 10:35
I've had to rethink and reexamine a situation in our lives that seems awfully big to me. I had a certain picture in my mind of how it should go. And if it didn't go this way then I was all ready to think that God's love was only the kind of love that "is good for you" like bad-tasting medicine is. Well, I guess my head wasn't ready to do that but I am pretty sure my heart was.
And then this morning God got me rethinking it all. He got me to think that yes it will happen but it will happen in a way that will be a whole lot better for more people. For it isn't about me. Nothing is about us. It's all about Him and drawing people to Him.
And so, this thought gives me hope. And it helps me to keep doing what I'm doing, keep walking toward where I know God has called me to walk while remembering He's got this. He really does.