Such a Beautiful Tapesty Is Woven
Our lives revolve around a series of events that play out day in and day out, over and over again. Some things seem unimportant, some things seem devastating, some things are significant for a moment, forgotten the next. We go through great times in our lives. We go through challenges. We meet people by chance and then those people show up in small or big ways over the course of our lives. Today I saw a photo of three women on Facebook. Two of those women I am "friends" with on Facebook, so I get to share in the snippets of their lives that they post. We have known each other for years. The third was a friend from Johannesburg that I haven't seen in 10 years, but who I think of and just the day before was talking about with Tom.
While I don't see any of these women regularly, each of them, with their families, played a role in our lives in Africa. One of their husbands helped Tom and I start getting to know each other in New York. Then later on she and her husband donated a large sum of money to us from their wedding gifts. That still amazes me every time I think about it. Such generosity! That gift enabled us to stay in Nairobi and paid for Tom to get his permit so that he was able to finally start working as a pharmacist.
Another of those couples mentored Tom and I when we were newlyweds in Philadelphia and supported us as we got ready to leave on our grand adventure to Kenya! They ended up having their first son close to the time that Nick was born in Nairobi. I have a photo of us with our sons in my house at Kamiti Courts! They stopped in Nairobi as they moved to Johannesburg to work in the ministry in Pretoria. When they left Pretoria just over a year later, we moved into the same little house they had been staying in! An interesting aside to all of that is that her husband sold insurance to my aunt and uncle for their business years earlier, before we had ever met!
The last woman entered my life in Johannesburg. She was filled with such joy and an amazing spirit for life! We bought the same mirror for our homes off the side of the road in Johannesburg. We worked together in helping people learn about the Bible. She and her husband went through challenging times financially and personally and she didn't waiver in her faith or in her love for everyone around her. I have not known a woman more dedicated to God or her family.
I've heard our lives described as a tapestry that God is weaving. Often we can only see the knots and strings from the backside. Sometimes we can wonder what God is doing and how everything will turn out in the end. But sometimes we get a glimpse of the front of our tapestry, and have the opportunity to see the beauty unfolding around us. I believe I had one of those glimpses in the photo of my friends the other night. A reminder of good and pleasant times. A reminder of friends supporting each other in the battle to stay faithful to God and his work through this life. I am ever grateful for these women and for the beautiful tapestry God is weaving through my life.
While I don't see any of these women regularly, each of them, with their families, played a role in our lives in Africa. One of their husbands helped Tom and I start getting to know each other in New York. Then later on she and her husband donated a large sum of money to us from their wedding gifts. That still amazes me every time I think about it. Such generosity! That gift enabled us to stay in Nairobi and paid for Tom to get his permit so that he was able to finally start working as a pharmacist.
Another of those couples mentored Tom and I when we were newlyweds in Philadelphia and supported us as we got ready to leave on our grand adventure to Kenya! They ended up having their first son close to the time that Nick was born in Nairobi. I have a photo of us with our sons in my house at Kamiti Courts! They stopped in Nairobi as they moved to Johannesburg to work in the ministry in Pretoria. When they left Pretoria just over a year later, we moved into the same little house they had been staying in! An interesting aside to all of that is that her husband sold insurance to my aunt and uncle for their business years earlier, before we had ever met!
The last woman entered my life in Johannesburg. She was filled with such joy and an amazing spirit for life! We bought the same mirror for our homes off the side of the road in Johannesburg. We worked together in helping people learn about the Bible. She and her husband went through challenging times financially and personally and she didn't waiver in her faith or in her love for everyone around her. I have not known a woman more dedicated to God or her family.
I've heard our lives described as a tapestry that God is weaving. Often we can only see the knots and strings from the backside. Sometimes we can wonder what God is doing and how everything will turn out in the end. But sometimes we get a glimpse of the front of our tapestry, and have the opportunity to see the beauty unfolding around us. I believe I had one of those glimpses in the photo of my friends the other night. A reminder of good and pleasant times. A reminder of friends supporting each other in the battle to stay faithful to God and his work through this life. I am ever grateful for these women and for the beautiful tapestry God is weaving through my life.
Well-written piece of literary work. Indeed, God has plans for all of us. We may never know what it is but we see glimpses every now and then to remind us that God is always around to guide us. He usually works in ways that we will never understand but all we have to do is believe. :)
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