Monday, December 10, 2012

Seeing the Tangle or the Weave?



One of the book clubs I’m involved in recently discussed Jonathan Odell’s The Healing. There were many scenes that struck me in the novel, but one stood out above the rest.

There’s an instance when a girl arrives at a stable to find a woman (Polly Shine) who’s been mentoring her in midwifery and the art of healing. The girl, Granada (with the birth name of Yewande) is wrought with guilt for having set the wheels in motion for this woman to be chained, her life now at risk.

Polly has taken it upon herself to instill cultural values and rich character-building messages in Granada. While struggling to breathe, Polly reminds Granada her mother in Africa was a weaver.

As I read I wondered where she might take this reminder, as it had become clear Polly always takes pieces of information somewhere.

Here’s where she took it…

“When Polly began again, her words were too low to be heard. Granada leaned in closer.

'She told me the secret…what made them so fine, mother after daughter after granddaughter, all the way down the line.’

'What was it, Polly?’

‘She say, the difference in weavers is, some see the tangle and others see the weave. The ones that can’t take their eyes off the tangle, they never rise above it.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ Granada said, knowing this was important, trying to understand.

‘Granada, this here…what happened to me, to you, to Rubina…ain’t nothing but a tangle. It’s the weave you got to remember, Granada. It’s bigger than you and me. It went on before you and me got here. It’ll go on after you and me leave this place and go to wherever it is Rubina is waiting. Just a tangle, Granada.’

Her whisper became so small, the girl had to put an ear to Polly’s mouth. Granada felt the parched lips brush against skin.

‘Yewande, lift your eyes and see!’”

After reading this I decided I always want to be one who sees the weave. There are so many tangles for all of us at any given second in time. But we have the option of lifting our eyes to see.

What makes it difficult for you to take your eyes off life’s tangles? What helps you remember the weave?

*Congrats to Jaime W. for winning Emily Wierenga’s book , Chasing Silhouettes & to Amy S. for winning a humongous Trader Joe’s chocolate bar (Amy, please send me your mailing address)!
**Trying a new blogging schedule through the New Year. I’ll just be posting on Mondays.
***photos by stock.XCHNG

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful, thanks for sharing this great reminder. God is a masterful weaver, we must trust Him and His design.

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  2. That is so beautiful!!! What a lesson and a great reminder for me today. :)

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  3. One of the reasons I love storytelling...there are so many ways to reveal truth through our books. Sometimes the only way to see the weave through the tangles is knowing that God has a design in mind, and though it looks messed up and tangled in the moment, or from where I'm sitting, He's working it all together to make a beautiful pattern that I will one day recognizes.

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  4. There is some brilliant truth in your post today. Brilliant.

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  5. Beautiful.

    There is always beauty or a blessing, even in the midst of tragedy or crisis, if we look for it.

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  6. My humanity causes me to focus on the tangles when I would be so much better off setting my sights on the weave--and the Weaver.

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  7. Beautiful. Prayer and reading God's Word is the only thing that really helps me focus on the weave.

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  8. Love this; seems like i'm going through the tangles right now, but when i think of God and how he works, and things working together for my good, because i'm his child, when i remember his ways are not my ways; when i remember that he uses the foolish to confound the wise, i see the weave and focus on the weaver.

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  9. Wow. How profound. Thanks for sharing, Wendy.

    What keeps me in the tangles cloudy skies, problems that stay year after year, and forgetting I'm a princess of the King.

    What helps me see the weave is to read passages in the Word that remind me how big He is, how strong and brave and good. That helps.

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  10. I so needed to read this, my friend. Thank you. (And I skipped back to last Wed's post, btw. Loved your fun health facts.) ;)

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  11. I, also, needed to read this. I found myself 'down' because I disappointed a friend. Not only is she mad at me, both of her daughters are to.

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  12. There always seems to be an abundance of tangles. I try my best to allow the conditioner of the Word to smooth them out. :)

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  13. Honestly, I have a huge problem focusing on the tangles. That is probably why I feel so discontent and unhappy all the time. My mind keeps telling me to rise above it, but my body does not like to cooperate. I hate to admit it, but Polly is right about people who focus on the tangles too much. They can't seem to rise above it, and I know exactly how that feels. I always wish I could be different, but even wishing feels like a tangle anymore. It's not enough to just want to change. The weaving is in the actual changing. But, I can't seem to get myself to look past the knots, and that, in itself, is a tangle.

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  14. This is beautiful, Wendy. There are so many times when I just see the tangle and not the weave, but I think this analogy will help me remember to look beyond present circumstances. There is a big picture and a higher purpose!

    P.S. And am I the Amy S. who won chocolate? Oh goodness, I hope so!!! :D

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