I often find myself describing this longing of mine. I long to get to heaven and ask God if He would be kind enough to show me the backside of the tapestry of life. I imagine life as this great tapestry that is constantly being woven. The front of the tapestry reveals a beautiful image, the image of God’s great love story through humanity. But the backside tells a different story. It shows the incredibly complex, often messy, seemingly nonsensical knots and threads that were required to create what we see on the front.
I imagine the backside as the connection of prayers we will never know were prayed over us, and the prayers we prayed for others without ever seeing the outcome. I imagine the threads of divine encounters, the doors God opened and the ones He closed, all guiding us toward His will. And yes, I imagine it looking like a bit of a mess. But I long to see it, because even from this side of the tapestry, I am already amazed.
When I think about orphan care, foster care, and caring for vulnerable families, I often wish I could trace the exact thread of how God wove this calling into my life. I wish I could point to the moment it began. But the harder I try to find the beginning, the more convinced I am that something before that stirred this calling in me. And in the end, I always arrive at the same truth: it doesn’t really matter where it began. What matters is that God called me to care for the vulnerable, and that calling has taken different shapes in different seasons.
What I know for certain is this: I have never felt closer to God than when I am stepping into that calling. While it may look to others like I am pouring out, I feel God pouring in. I feel His nearness, His heart, and His tenderness for His children. I love it.
As we enter Orphan Care Weekend, I am excited to invite you to explore your own calling with God. Maybe it is something brand new. Maybe it is something He is refreshing in you. Maybe it is the first stirring of compassion you cannot quite name yet. Whatever God is whispering, I pray you hear Him. I pray you step into the calling with Him and for Him. And I pray that as you do, the tapestry of your life is revealed one beautiful, intentional thread at a time.
Liz Brodzinski
Bridge the Gap Director
