When you live a One-Piece Life — you don’t see your life as falling to pieces as much as it is falling together. -ANN VOSKAMP

I stopped, for only a moment, and gazed at my family. In action. Not sitting and watching tv, Not playing video games or surfing the internet. One was talking animatedly to a youth leader, explaining the intricacies of who knows what.

Doing life.

Sharing time.

Another was busy moving what he was asked to move. Helping wherever needed. No thought for anything other than what had to be accomplished in order to bless. I stopped. I looked. There was another welcoming. Giving attention to the souls. Those given into our care. For now.

…and I smiled.

In that moment I realized something that I have always known, but taken for granted. They love me. I think that within family, this is always an assumption.  We intuitively know that we are loved by those that we do life with, but it is in the moments that we recognize the special, that we stop. And look. And see – that love in action. See how when needed, they band together. Without complaint. Without regret. Without thought.

Together.

It was also in that instant that I recognized that the fabric of my life which had so often in the past seemed pieced. Fragmented. Like a quilt – often with lose stiches holding it together, was actually woven as if it were one. One piece of cloth, inseparable. The components of which – if pulled apart – would be unrecognizable.

We compliment and complete. We each have a part in the beauty that our life together weaves – a tapestry of the most beautiful making. Each contributing a vital part of the picture that is so beautiful as a whole. Even when a portion moves off on its own, it is still part of the quilt; the tapestry that is being forever woven. People are added, new lives are formed, and the fabric of our lives stretches and grows: making our one piece quilt ever the more beautiful.

The unique twists and turns of life that we often see as trials or bad happenstance, when viewed from the scope of the whole piece – now creates interest, like a coat of many colors. The unexpected turns of the thread, the off-color happenings, the bumps and thickening of the colors and bruises – Weave together to form: beautiful.

And I stand back and gaze in wonder at what life has created.

I gaze at the beauty of the one piece quilt.

As if we were one.

A tapestry woven by God.

Ministry had become – for me - something that I engaged in that was separate; removed from family life.  It was how I spent a part of each day reaching out beyond my four walls. I didn’t ask for help nor was it offered. I was like a sole survivor on a beautiful tropical island, loving where I was and what I was experiencing, but without anyone to share it with. But in that moment the fabric moved into place, the beach sand flowed beneath our feet and all moved together. The pieces shifted, fused, and became one.

I see how the fragmented pieces of my life fit together in this experience we call family. Piece by piece they merge and fuse until the seams liquefy beneath the weight of trials and joys, struggles and laughter. Each their own thread of strength and courage and delight. Pieces of the puzzle fitting together into the Masters tapestry.

No longer threadbare, but beautiful.

BEAUTIFUL

We are each a stroke of the Artists brush, a thread in the weavers hand; blending together with each wave of the Conductors hand. A symphony of color and movement … and life.

Life

This is my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything

For reflection:Do you recognize the weaving of your life with that of others?  What is the one area that you would like to weave into your quilt, that you have kept separate up til now? Please share to encourage others.

Soli Deo Gloria

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Lisa is passionate about leading.  Leading women in realizing their strengths. Leading people towards the love of Jesus. Leading everyone to seek a deeper relationship with God. She is a writer, a teacher and an organizer, and desires to make others dreams come true. Besides being the founder and content editor of a beautiful life, Lisa writes inspiration for journaling and  for seeking the presence of God. You can see her daily inspiration at her personal blog space: http://www.lisaevola.com