Midweek: At the Hands of a Craftsman (2014)

The right tool for the job! Wasn't that the slogan for a tool distributor? Something like that. Bottom line, you don't want to use a chainsaw when a pocketknife will do. Our Heavenly Father is pretty adept at both. Ask me how I know! We don't always enjoy His methods, but we can rejoice in the truth that He knows us better than we know ourselves; Scripture assures us His work is for our good and His glory; and because of His character, we can trust the job will be done perfectly and to completion. Even when the work causes us to wonder, it never causes us to doubt (we do that all on our own accord), because His designs are greater than anything we see from the cheap seats.  

And I don't say that lightly. The person I am today is not the same person who wrote this original article eleven years ago. More often than not, I couldn't see the end from the beginning. More often than not, I wasn't in love with the changes or the means to change God expertly wielded. But I am living proof that trusting oneself to the Master's hands is to experience His best and walk in peace with Him. And I have so much further to go. So, be encouraged today: it will all be worth it. Know that to surrender your life to God is to see it remade at the hand of a True Craftsman!

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What do you like to do? When considering the perfect occupation or weekend retreat, what would you do?

My uncle was a carpenter. His basement was full of enormous power tools -- lathes, saws and all manner of woodworking amenities. The smell of scorched wood, and crackling curls of maple littering the floor --it was captivating. His tools; my foray into craftsmanship.

My nana taught me needlework as soon as I was able to balance a hoop and needle. I loved sitting at her feet, her bag open in front of me. I'd root through embroidery hanks and thimbles --so much potential. Her tools; my toys.

Then there's the unfaithful husband. The drug-addicted daughter. The death of a parent. The bankruptcy. The cancer. No, you haven't turned a page. These are tools also. Not all of them my experience, but close enough. These are the tools God has used to change my life, or the lives of my friends.

Christians catch a lot of flak for worshipping a God who would hurt to heal or tear down to rebuild. And right now, trust me, we are knee-deep in teardown. But I have learned that something good will come of it. Oh, I can't say that I'm gushing about the process, but truth tells me this is for a season.

The Bible contains account after account of folks who, throughout history have experienced the same phenomena as this --God's (sometimes) sharp tools applied to their lives --but this poem says it pretty well and encourages us all:

The Master Weaver's Plan

 

My life is but a weaving
Between the Lord and me;
I may not choose the colors–
He knows what they should be.

 

For He can view the pattern
Upon the upper side
While I can see it only
On this, the under side.

 

Sometimes He weaves in sorrow,
Which seems so strange to me;
But I will trust His judgment
And work on faithfully.

 

‘Tis He who fills the shuttle,
And He knows what is best;
So I shall weave in earnest,
And leave to Him the rest.

 

Not ’til 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 needed
In the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

-Author Unknown