Like Threads in a Tapestry

In my previous post, I talked about how the life of Joseph demonstrated God’s good and sovereign hand over our lives even when it feels out of control. Like threads in a tapestry, every situation and choice is part of a greater plan. A greater purpose.

Joseph’s life was a foretaste of what would be carried out by Jesus Christ.

The life of Christ, as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, illustrates the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:3. He came as a suffering servant. He was rejected by His people. He was acquainted with the greatest of injustices. He was cruelly and publically murdered on a cross. He endured the full wrath of His Father.

I imagine Jesus’ disciples, wondered, like Joseph, “What good could come from this? Where can hope be found now?

But God delivered up Jesus to die for a determined purpose (Acts 2:23), and He was weaving out a story more beautiful than they could ever imagine.

The darkest and most nefarious thing ever done was flipped on its head, becoming the most incredible moment of grace and mercy. It guaranteed an end to suffering one day. It turned sadness into joy. It turned injustice into grace. It made a mockery of sin and death. It guaranteed victory!

The same themes we saw in Joseph’s life came to light on the grandest of scales through Christ; Salvation. Restoration. Hope. Forgiveness.

Jesus Christ is our rags to riches story. He is our greatest love. He is our greatest hero. He is our Savior.

It was indeed prophetic what Nathaniel said to Philip before meeting Jesus, Can anything good come out of Nazareth (John 1:46)?

We too can have hope in our own lives that God is taking our failures and greatest struggles and using them as tools of His grace and redemption.

But, to be honest….

So much of the daily trials of life feel insignificant. Mundane. Less than thrilling. We wonder if what we do will pay off in the end. One of our deepest longings is to feel like what we do matters. That it counts for something bigger than ourselves. Does God use the seemingly insignificant moments of life for good?

I think about this frequently.

Most of my energy and attention is aimed toward the needs of my kids due to autism. A lot of time is spent at home or taking them to therapy and school. Leaving the house for simple family outings is challenging and provokes anxiety. Every plan has contingency plans galore. Forgetting a juice cup, a snack, or a change of clothes can make all the difference in the world between a positive or negative experience. Everything, for better or worse, is very calculated.

“Go with the flow” is no longer our motto. Now it’s “Stick to the plan” and do everything possible not to alter the plan (especially last minute). There isn’t much left in the tank at the end of the day.

It feels as though God has us hemmed in. Maybe you feel the same. Is this truly the good plan God has for us?

Unbroken Faith

In her book, Unbroken Faith, Dianne Dokko Kim recounts her journey with autism through her son. In her reflections, she said something that I desperately needed to hear to move forward in my journey. To press on with hope and joy.

As an international missionary with her husband, she was committed to “radical discipleship” and felt deserving of great spiritual blessings because of it. Surely God would confirm her missional work and act favorably toward that end. Surely it was God’s will to keep her right there where she could care for the spiritual needs of others. After all, that’s the most important work to be done, right?

All of that came to a screeching halt when her son was diagnosed at an early age with moderate to severe autism. The diagnosis, she explained, “shipwrecked” her faith. Due to the amount of care her son required, they moved back to the states and away from their international mission field. Away from their perceived “calling”.

She wondered why God would pull them away from missions work to care solely for their child. Why this? Send someone else God. This isn’t what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.

After wrestling with the question of, “Why didn’t God do something to stop this”, this is what she concluded:

God is able to heal. Yet we find it difficult to accept when He doesn’t. Should He tarry, it is because He holds a higher purpose we may not be privy to. It is for His maximum glory, resulting in our utmost wonder.

Dianne Dokko Kim, 2018

Those words struck me to my core. It was a pivotal point for me in my journey.

If God is glorified more greatly through my kids’ autism, then I can press on in life with hope and joy that surpasses understanding.

If autism allows me to stand in greater wonder of His goodness, then I can consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).

God’s Ultimate (Good) Plan

While the daily threads of my life seem less than colorful, I know God is using them to weave a beautiful tapestry. And I know that tapestry is even more beautiful because of my kids’ autism, not in spite of it.

I’ll admit, it took me a while to see this truth.

But there is an even greater tapestry God is working on. It’s not just a tapestry of my own life or the life of my family, but a tapestry of Christ and His redemptive work in this world. That’s what we are a part of. That’s what we are woven into. That’s the ultimate good plan. And special needs, like autism, are part of that plan too.

We are not the author nor the main character in this crazy story of life. Jesus Christ is. But by God’s grace, He wants to use the threads of our life, no matter how significant or insignificant they seem, to redeem the world.

So rest assured that what you do does matter. It has meaning. And it absolutely counts for something bigger than yourself. God’s ultimate good plan is at work today, even in the seemingly insignificant things.