The Fabric of Our Life

If you could describe yourself with the imagery of a fabric, what would you be, what color, texture, and your use? In our morning ladies bible study we have been studying the Tabernacle of Moses, found in the book of Exodus. This week we stood at the veil, the tapestry that guarded the presence of the Most High God. Behind the veil was the Holy of Holies, God’s living room, the Ark of the Covenant, topped with the mercy seat.

As we looked at the veil, four colors were used representing four divine qualities of Jesus. First, white ~ His purity, purple ~ royalty, red ~ His ever constant flowing sacrificial blood, and blue ~ heaven, home with the Father.

With this, was a fresh ability to see with creative eyes into our own fabric. As the women were seated following worship, they teamed up with one other gal. They were presented with questions to help guide them through discovering how they too could describe the fabric of their life. YET – they could not just answer the questions, they had to share the answers with the other gal, and when called upon each gal shared the others answers, thus each woman got to hear her self described. Impacting.

These were the questions:

1. If your life were a fabric, what colors would you see?
Would there be one or many colors?
What would they represent?

2. What kind of cloth would it be —- plain cotton, linen, smooth or textured, clean, new or tattered and torn?

3. What would be the use of the fabric, decorative or functional? (Examples: I would be a table runner, a bath towel, a fine ball gown, or a dust rag)

As we went around the room, I noticed that besides the common factor of the DNA quality of WOMAN, beyond that . we were … VARIETY. So many colors, textures and uses. There was a lot of thought going on, laughter and yes – tears. One gal shared she saw herself as the color qualities found in a prism, all the shades of light, representing beauty – His beauty found in her, (knowing this gal, so true . mature and God loving).

Another gal, saw herself as black, due to a dark past, yet red where Christ now resides, with yellow . new life of hope, and pink for her femininity. ‘Many colors’, was one response, because of her indecisiveness (how honest!)

The textures were just as vast: soft and transparent, and silk with its so many forms . rough, smooth, and one of the strongest natural fabrics. One gal was clean and new, another ‘cotton’ with all the wrinkles, yet ironed out by God. ‘OH BOY’ one gal shares – ‘tattered, and mended, a patchwork’. One gal, a seamstress says wool, flexible, good for the cool or warm times. This one ~ I thought humorous but oh so true, she was suede, the evidence of her kids brushed her one way and her husband the other!

As the veil in the Tabernacle was HIGHLY decorative with the colors and the cherubim embroidered throughout it, it too was very functional. My ladies began to see themselves as both, full of beauty, but full of purpose (this little exercise was ‘doing the job’)

One gal shared she saw herself as a nightgown, soft, cozy and feeling of security, another she was a coat – wide enough to shelter, and warm enough to give comfort. ‘An apron’, was shared, she was a ‘doer/worker’. There was mention of ‘snuggly blankets’ and one gal smiled as she described herself as a towel, going behind her kids and wiping up the messes.

As I prepared to wrap up that session, the ladies asked “what are YOU?” Hm… I think I would say ‘my color is purple, perhaps a more shade of lavender, desiring my King so strongly but fall short of the nobility to wear the color myself. My material would be that of burlap (don’t laugh). It can be very rough, but through time it softens, and I would say my function … as a bag, filling up as to be taken and given out again.’

How would YOU describe yourself? The fabric of YOUR life, are you cozy, rough, (needing Holy Spirit fabric softener)? Are you dark in color or bright and vibrant? Or perhaps you are ‘camouflage’ as to hide your true self? Are you primarily decorative only, or functional? May the qualities of Jesus come out in our colors, our texture, and our purpose.

The Fabric of our life.

In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me, LORD )