So, it’s spring here and that means sheep shearing time.
Those sheep, no matter how uncomfortable they are with all that wool-weight, do
not want to get caught. Mr. N somehow corralled them away from the watchful
llama, ‘Tia,’ who protects them from strangers. Still the wild-eyed sheep elude
capture. Mr. N knows that by patient
coaxing, he can get a sheep into the smaller pen. Yes, that crazy running is funny, but that’s
the way we sometimes look, ridiculously trying to avoid God’s best for our
lives.
Mr. N challenges any of us (teachers and students) to
wrestle the sheep and set her upright in the shearing position. First a brave 5th
grade girl tries, and though she might know the technique, she lacks the
strength. Then Mr. C, the 7th grade teacher, steps up and manages to
roll the woolly creature into a couch-potato position. And amazingly, all the
fight leaves the sheep, and she becomes docile. (It reminds me of the verse
that says Jesus was like a sheep before the shearers; He allowed them to do
what they were going to do.) So, am I like a sheep, ready to stop protesting
and patiently endure the process of snipping off the weight I’ve become
accustomed to?
Wool class was scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday. Ms. K led
the children through the long process of turning the wool into a rug. For some
of them it was very familiar as they have grandmothers who weave Navajo rugs.
For others, it was new, but fun.
[If I may, I would like to continue the metaphor through the
process. (My friend, A, will be speaking
at various churches this summer, and she shared some of her thoughts with me…
Thanks, A.)]
First the children carefully washed the wool. Frankly, it
stinks and is sticky with lanolin. The scrubbing is gentle, but hot (140
degrees). Jesus purifies us, delivering us
of our own filth and the smells of the desert. The wool cannot be used unless it is clean, just
as I cannot be used in the Kingdom while refusing His cleansing.
So, we surrender to the washing; and the drying in the
Arizona sun actually feels pleasant. Maybe
God will let me stay out here toasting in the sun for a while. But no, the
next step is cleaning. It takes hours to
pick the wool of unwanted material and field debris. There’s pulling and
stretching in my life. Hey, Lord, you’re throwing away some good
stuff there, aren’t you? I not only
want this to be over because it hurts, but I’m not sure the Cleaner is leaving
me anything. So much for that little
hoard.
So, now the wool is cleaned up. Thanks, Lord. But here come the carding combs. These two wire-tooth
brushes straighten out the stuff of my life, pulling back and forth. More
debris surfaces and must be discarded. Are
you sure, Lord? I thought I had things pretty organized on my own. Finally,
though the carding is done, and my life lies in untangled puffs in the
basket. Surely, it is time to be useful
for God’s Kingdom.
But no, the gentle hands grasp the wool and draft it,
creating a spider web appearance. Is this transparency and stretching necessary?
Can’t I just keep doing the things I am
used to doing? Then on to the
spinning. Though this looks so homey and somehow traditional, it involves twisting
the threads. Twisting and twisting. Perhaps the worry about the future and my
abilities is this twisting. I feel like a wrung-out dishrag. And as I am spun,
a feeling I don’t like at all, I am being joined to other gossamers. We are strengthened
as we are mingled. Whether we like it or not, relationships with people matter.
How we treat God’s people matters. God
has gifted us differently, so together we form the strong threads.
Finally, the yarns are wound on bobbins, and the weaving can
begin. Each student chose his/her own colors and pattern, as the Maker orders
our pattern and path. Even then there is pulling and pressing on the threads. He
knows the end result, and I must trust Him to make the product beautiful. Then,
whether I am a rug or a placemat or a coaster, I am ready to be used by the
Lord.
Thank you for your prayers. We are unsure of our next step,
but we want to trust in God with all our hearts and not lean on our own
understanding. We trust that He will make our paths straight.
Love,
The Coasters
