Blessings come from unexpected places. This blog entry is the result of meeting a new friend on Facebook who published the following poem on her profile page. She tells me that someone handed her a copy of it in a church parking lot once, at a time she really needed to hear these words.
Note from Patricia Cummings, 2/28/10: Before now, I was unaware of Grant Colfax Tuller (1869-1950), the author of this poem. He was born two years after Ellen Webster, the instructor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College about whom I wrote such a lengthy book, and he died the same year that she did. Its always interesting to find comparatives in History. Tuller was a minister in New Jersey. It is an interesting to imagine that Ellen Webster might have known of his hymns and religious work. Here is the poem:
The Weaver
My life is but a weaving
Between the Lord and me …
I may not choose the colors;
He knows what they should be;
For He can view the pattern
Upon the upper side,
While I can see it only,
on this, the under side.
Sometimes He weaveth sorrow
which seems strange to me;
But I will trust His judgment
And work on faithfully.
‘Tis He who fills the shuttle;
He knows just what is best;
So I shall weave in earnest
And leave with Him the rest.
Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas,
And explain the reasons 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.
The imagery of this poem is powerful and thought-provoking. How many times do we see something as a curse, when it is actually a blessing? Even the hardships we endure are there for a reason: as a learning experience, and as a way to be shaped by God’s hand as a blacksmith would change the shape of a horseshoe with anvil and fire.
A quick Google search reveals that Reverend Tuller wrote the lyrics to the hymn, “Face to Face,” (words now in the public domain), as well as those of “Under the Banner of Jesus.” According to a reproduced article online from Pillar of Fire magazine, Tuller is credited with writing the words to a hymn for a dedication of Alma Temple in 1937. Perhaps his autobiography, Written Because … reveals some of his other poetry and lyrics.
e-book on CD available at Quilter’s Muse Publications (and elsewhere, in fine museum shops and quilt shops).
New book announcement received today:
Have a great Sunday!
Patricia Cummings
