Song Analysis #1

Tapestry by Hillsong United

“In You no thread will ever fray.”

While assisting campers in an art class with sewing, several kids came up to me needing help with their thread. It’s crazy how hard it was for the small thread to get into the eye of the needle and how easy and quickly it would get knotted and tangled up. Most of the kids got frustrated when their’s got tangled and brought their project straight to myself or one of the counselors to fix it because they lacked the patience and experience to do so effectively. They seemed to be filled with angst as I unraveled it for them. Though their little fingers would have probably made it easier to fix it themselves, considering the circumstances, it made far more sense for it to be brought to me.

What a life it would be to literally never have a single thread on anything you own fray! Unfortunately, I don’t think a life like that can exist, which is why the mini emergency sowing kits are available at convenience stores, supermarkets, and everything in between. The idea of these kits being sold is that if you know the skill of sewing well enough, you can mend your clothing enough for it to be functional. But why mend it on the go and keep it that way forever when you can have a seamstress have it as good as new?

In our lives with Christ, we should believe that God knows exactly what, how, when, and why things are placed, changed, and taken out of our lives. Will you choose to complain about your frayed thread or untimely situation? Or will you go to God so He can change your perspective? You may find, even years down the line, that what you saw as a frayed thread was in fact the beginning of an embroidered flower or God taking a second to get more thread so He can continue sewing your life together.

But practically, what does this look like? In most of my classes, since I was in kindergarten, I was in the minority or the only African American person on the roster. I didn’t understand why this was and, frankly, I did not like or embrace this until I matured. This fray certainly affected how I saw myself and, as a result, how I treated others, both positively and negatively. But now I see how it was a setup! (The Godly kind of setup.) Only God knew that I would go to a PWI for undergrad and that my experience as the minority would make my time in college easier. Had I not gone through grade school learning to embrace who I am as an African American and what I bring to the table as an individual, I may have lacked the focus I needed to thrive in the position God placed me. In hindsight, I realize that none of it was a mistake. I know that God blessed me even though I was the minority and how I was a blessing because I was the minority.

God works on behalf of His people! He takes situations that were meant to harm us or set us back and uses it for both our and His benefit. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose.” The bottom line here is to allow God’s love to change us, love God, and trust in the plan that He has for mankind and the specific purpose He has called us, as individuals, to fulfill. We do this because we know that He loves us and wants the best for us and mankind as a whole. God brings all things together and back to Himself through Jesus’ life and death and our union with Jesus as co-heirs (Colossians 1:17-20).