But what about the embarrassed and ashamed part? Those are the pieces torn away from the one piece life. If all of life is either sacred or profane, the embarrassed and ashamed parts are where we have greeted the interruptions, the unexpected, the uninvited in a manner that is not sacred. They are the places where we’ve stumbled under the weight of the cross and instead of accepting the grace of the Savior, we’ve either tried to throw the cross from our shoulders or we’ve tried to carry it under our own strength.
My life is not a seamless garment. I’ve lived long enough to see that now. I cannot cut from the fabric of my life the patches that are rougher than the others, the colors that are just a little off. No matter how embarrased or ashamed of them I might be, they cannot be ripped from the fabric. But they can be stitched into His masterpiece. I can give them to Him and trust that over time, He will piece together a garment that takes those dark pieces and frames them just so, rendering the finished product beautiful beyond anything I could have imagined.
God intends it to be holy. All of it. What He wants at the end of a fragmented day is for me to see–clearly see–the many fragments and how they are of my own making. And then, He wants me to ask. He wants me to know that He can take the fragments, even the seeming dissonance and He can make a one piece life of my many scraps. It can all be for His good and to His glory. If only I hand Him the pieces.
But what does all this have to do with patience? Everything. At then end of a day that was all ragged fragments, a day where truly the beauty in the design is utterly incomprehensible, I am called to hand the pieces to him and just wait. Trust. And wait. He’s got a plan.
Beautiful, as usual. When will I ever adjust myself and my expectations to the fragmented? I hope in this decade. Thanks so much for this.
Praying for you in this decade Sally! You’ve blessed me so much as you’ve shared your journey.
Elizabeth, you speak so much to my heart. You encourage me so very much and help me see things in the light of God. I am so very blessed to have found you on the internet. You were the second homeschooling blog I came across before I even started really researching and praying about homeschooling. And you have been a constant source of inspiration for me. Thank you for all you have written on the net and in your book (the title escapes me). May God bless you and continue to inspire you.
Thanks so much for your kinds words. God bless!
So beautiful! Thank you for this good reminder and focus. Gorgeous fabrics bring visual hope to the fragmented…
Wow! This resonates so very much with me. I am right there with you. Thank you for sharing your heart, as you have so often on your blog. Your encouraging words give me hope. May God bless you!
Because I don’t have a real life Catholic mentor, I always look to your writing space to inspire, to teach, and to grow. Thank you for being a voice I can relate to and find such hope from. Catholicism sometimes, feels attacked but I lean into it and cling to my faith because from you I am reminded its really always about Him. So thank you!!!
such an artful way to describe our fragmented days. beautiful and inspiring.
Heya terrific website! Does running a blog like this take a great deal of work?
I have virtually no understanding of programming however I was hoping to start my own blog in the near future.
Anyways, if you have any suggestions or tips for new blog owners please share.
I understand this is off subject however I just needed to ask.
Kudos!