Choosing Despair: Choosing Trust
When we go through a difficult time, and especially when we are grieving, we can easily slip into despair as we wonder why this is happening and why isn’t God doing anything to relieve our suffering. I recently came across a poem that you may know, called The Tapestry Poem, that speaks to this question:
Life is but a Weaving
My life is but a weaving Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow; And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper And I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver In the pattern He has planned
He knows, He loves, He cares; Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those Who leave the choice to Him.”
― Corrie ten Boom
This poem brings to mind the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament. Both Corrie and Habakkuk tell us we have a choice. We can either choose to get mired in despair or we can choose to trust God. The first leads to spiritual and emotional darkness, and the second to light and a new life in Christ. Although we may not see the path in the midst of our suffering, it is there.
“Yet I will glory in the Lord; I will rejoice in God my Savior. The Lord God is my strength; He will direct my feet to the end; He will set me upon high places, so to conquer by His song” (Habakkuk 3:18–19).
May God bless and protect you.
BJ Spanos
Spiritual Director
Certified Grief Recovery Specialist®
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