When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:4
In a store, I saw one of the ugliest mats I could ever imagine. It was a mess of tatters and tangled strings of all imaginable colours and sizes. There was no apparent pattern to it, unless it was as a dog’s breakfast. It would be impossible to imagine any sort of beauty in it, I was certain that nobody would ever want to buy that ugly thing! But somebody did, and that person was absolutely delighted with the mat. That’s because, before buying it, the customer turned the mat over to reveal the other side. What a difference! Suddenly, the mat was a beautiful scene, marked by lovely contrasts and blends of colours. Whoever had created it could not be anything short of an artistic master. That mat is like the lives of Christians – before and then after we reach the Glory.
All of those tatters and strings, appearing only a jumble, were necessary to provide the colours and patterns for the other side. If any of those messy pieces was missing, the lovely scene would be marred. So it is with our lives, as our experience takes us through jumbled mazes that we can make no sense of. But God allows the loose ends and tatters of life to occur, not because He enjoys seeing our lives in confusion, but because He is creating of our lives a beautiful masterpiece. We won’t ever see the masterpiece developing, at least not in this life. But as we keep ourselves in His will, we can be assured that the tangles of our life are only so in our sight.
There are some colours and fabrics that can be seen only in a certain type of light. Under that light, the colours and patterns appear. Such is the light of Glory. The faded and indistinct here will become sharp and focused there. The griefs and heartaches here will be changed into lovely patterns there. The labours and struggles here will be transformed into magnificence there.
How sweet it is to draw courage in these dark and uncomfortable days from the wondrous prospect of Christ’s appearing and the overturning of our tangled mat to display His masterpiece. -Jim MacIntosh