Deb Douglas, Women’s Minister of First Baptist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana, recently told the story of her experience in a Houston airport. Not having the best of days, Deb noticed a peculiar looking wall covered in tiles. She was disturbed by the fact that the mismatched tiles were arranged in such a hodge-podge, but even worse - there was an area of tiles that were missing all together. Not being able to make sense of it, she became infuriated that the airport would care so little and not take the time to maintain it.
Feeling as if she needed to speak up on behalf of the wall, Deb took several steps back. She caught a glimpse of a man in a red coat and assumed he was an airport employee - the perfect person in which to plead her case that the wall of tiles should be “fixed”. But just as her accusations began to spill off her tongue she caught a second look at the tile wall and it all became so clear. From a distance, she realized that those same mismatched tiles in reality created a beautiful mosaic.
Women in crisis tend to be “up against the wall”. All we can focus on is what is right in front of us and we cannot seem to see beyond the moment. But when we take a step back and look through God’s lens, we find that He was creating something beautiful all along.
God is weaving a golden thread through the tapestry of our lives, and yes, that includes the junk as well as the joys. Each experience, good and bad, becomes a tile on our wall. We cannot seem to make any sense of it by looking at the individual tiles, but when we take a step back and consider the bigger picture, an amazing mosaic will be brought to light. For, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11
As we face the struggles of life, we must keep in perspective that God can bring good out of any situation. Each tile is an important piece to our puzzle. Without it, the beautiful mosaic would not be complete.
Yes, Dayna! You are right on. I work with women who are up against a wall, and I love the opportunity to be able to help them see doors that are ways they can get out. Thank you for being a voice for them!
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