The Tapestry of My Calling
by Gloria A. Walker © 2018
Interwoven
in the fabric of my life is the mantle given to me at my new birth. Too young
to understand, I did not care for it as I should. As a result, it became
fragmented, threadbare, barely clinging together. As I sit here in my quiet
time, alone with Him, I hear Him say, “It’s time.” “Time?” I ask. “Time,” He
said. “You have allowed the cares of this life to fray the very fabric of your
being. Where you once trusted, you now doubt. Where you were once open to new
experiences, you have built a wall. Where you once loved freely, you withhold
that love to guard your heart. In doing so, you unknowingly shut Me out. I was
left in the peripheral of your life; however, I AM no longer willing to be
relegated to the sidelines of your life. It’s time.”
I watched
as He picked up that tattered remnant. I saw the threadbare places and I found
myself trembling. He drew my attention to some of those torn places. He said,
“Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness
have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31:3 AMP). I felt
the strength of His love reach out to embrace me, giving no room for fear, ‘for
perfect love casts out fear’ (1 John 4:18). As His love surrounds me, He
reminds me, “I AM Jehovah Rapha—the Lord who heals you. For I will restore
health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds” (Jer. 30:17).
As He
speaks, His Word intertwines with my being, giving strength where there was
weakness, joy where there was heartbreak, love where there was indifference,
rivers of living water where there was stagnation, and life where death once
hovered. I watched as He took His fingers and began to repair those broken
places. He began to weave in His sufficient grace, reminding me, “I have made
you a watchman. Therefore hear the words at My mouth and give them warning from
Me (Ezek. 3:17). No longer will you run from the call I have placed on your
life.”
I froze as I felt the weight of the
mantle that was placed on my shoulders. It was very heavy and I felt my knees
buckle under the weight of it. He continues in that still, small voice, “The
mistake you made before was to try and carry it by yourself.” He then slipped
His right arm around me and fitted half the mantle on His shoulders. He said,
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and
ye shall find rest unto your soul. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light
(Matt. 11:28-30). You were never meant to carry this mantle on your own.”
As the
weight is lightened by sharing the load, He continues to encourage me by
saying, “Fear not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; year I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the
right hand of My righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). Together we began to move
forward, the tapestry of my calling now mended—the threadbare places now made
whole. Nestled there in His embrace, under the shadow of His wings, I feel the
anointing oil of His Spirit impart the ministry of words to my spirit. I found
myself relating to the words of Psalms 45:1, “My heart is indicting a good
matter: I speak of things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the
pen of a ready writer.”
I hear Him whisper
as we walk side-by-side, “I have gifted you to write and to speak. Make Me
known to others as I reveal Myself to you. Don’t allow the weight of the mantle
to distract you from your purpose. But allow the mantle to reveal the weight of
My glory as you use your gifts to draw others to Me. Remember, if I be lifted
up from the earth I will draw all men unto Me” (John 12:32).
As a result
of this encounter, I am re-releasing this book of love letters and poetry,
picking up the mantle, continuing to create a tapestry that glorifies God. To purchase, click on the link below.
