In spring of 2016 we had the privilege of traveling to Paris and Rome. We attended Palm Sunday Service at Notre Dame, and while we were in Paris Belgium was bombed. There was restlessness and uncertainty all around us and security was heightened. In these times it is easy to question where is God and what is He up to?
We left Paris and traveled to Rome. We stood in the Coliseum where 1st century Christians were martyred for their faith. We stood outside the prison where Paul was held. We visited the church of “Saint Peter in Chains”, where you can see the chains they believe that were used to hold Peter to a prison wall and I marveled at the confidence with which both of these Saints faced prison and ultimately death.
We traveled to the Vatican City and spent time in St Peter’s, the largest church in the world. I was amazed by the beauty and opulence of it all. We were able to enter through the Holy Door that is only open for special occasions and every 25 years for Jubilee. In 2016 it was opened as a door of mercy through which anyone who enters can experience the love of God who consoles pardons and instills hope, at other times it is bricked up. We went through the Sistine Chapel and viewed the amazing ceiling paintings by Michelangelo. The Vatican Museum houses a collection of art that rivals that of the Louvre. There were sculptures, paintings and antiquities, obtained in conquest or given as gifts to the popes and the church. It was impossible to see it all due to the crowds and the immensity of the collection.
As we moved through the great halls, I found myself in a hall hung from floor to ceiling with tapestries. Our audio guide said that the tapestries that lined both sides of this great hall from floor to ceiling were tapestries designed by Raphael and woven at workshops in Brussels. The tapestries depict scenes from the lives of Peter and Paul.
I was pressed by the crowd up against one of the tapestries with a very limited view of the tapestry. I could have literally reached out to touch it. I could see the intricate knots that were hand tied; I could see the beautiful colors woven together. I could appreciate that it took many workers many hours to weave just the small section I was looking it. What I could not do from my position was see the overall picture. I had to move to the other side of the hall to get the full impact of Raphael’s design. And when I shifted my perspective, I was amazed at the beauty! And then it struck me, this is life, even for Christians. We stand with our face pressed up against a situation. Our position impacts our ability to see. We make judgments and interpretations based on a very limited view, we ask the questions, “Where is God, what is He up to?” And God stands on the other side and He sees how he is weaving all the colors and textures into a design that can’t be rivaled by even Raphael.
As I have remember and considered my experience in the Vatican Museum that day, I have been reminded of the Poem about The Weaver. The author is unknown, but it was often quoted by Corrie Ten Boom and was included in her book “Hiding Place”. In the midst of the Holocaust, she could see His hand. So when life doesn’t make sense- trust the design, but more importantly, trust the designer. He is weaving all the colors, threads and even knots into a beautiful design that is for your good and for His glory.
My Life is but a weaving between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colours He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper, And I the underside.
Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly, Shall God unroll the canvas And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful In the Weaver’s skillful hand,
as the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares, nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those who leave the choice with Him. (Author Unknown.)
Shirley Chupp
Lean into Jesus Ministries
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