Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) focused on the Christian gospel with emphasis on forgiveness. Her story is far too important to summarize here.
Instead, I want to share a popular metaphor that is attributed to her–the concept of our lives as a tapestry.
In this moment and especially if you are in pain, you may see your life today or an intimate relationship as only a knot on the back of the tapestry–disconnected from a larger, meaningful whole.
You may not understand why you are struggling as you are. The knot currently being tied may be the most important piece of the tapestry–it may comprise the most critical and compelling element in the image being created.
Once the tapestry is completed and we see it from the front, perhaps this will become clear.
When something positive happens in our lives, we tend to say, “Yippee!!!”
When something negative happens in our lives, we tend to say, “Why me???”
What may be the strongest knots in your life’s tapestry may feel the most painful today. Indeed, perhaps we can consider a “Why me?” of gratitude for the easy knots and a “Yippee” (or we could start with just an “Okay”) of trust in resolution and strength for the hard knots.