The Craftsman and The Embroiderer

Feb 5

Everyone is important in God’s plan.  Yesterday, I read two posts that spoke to me.  You can read them HERE and HERE.  Janet in her post talked about how sometimes we are jealous of what other people are doing for the Lord.  Instead, we should be thankful for whatever it is He called us to do.  Heather in her post talked about how God hadn’t done what she was expecting Him to do, and she began to wonder if her job was to be an encourager to others.

This morning, I was in Exodus with Moses.  He was up on Mount Sinai, and God was giving Him instructions on how to build the tabernacle.  God was very specific about how he wanted things done.  Some verses caught my attention that I have never noticed before.  
Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. Exodus 26:31 NIV


For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer.  Exodus 26:36 NIV


What is so special about these verses?  Well, I noticed the specific mention of the skilled craftsman and the embroiderer.  Do you think these two were up on the mountain with Moses?  No.  Do you think they were a part of the party with Moses and Aaron and the seventy elders of Israel that had seen God and ate and drank together before Moses went up the mountain?  Very doubtful.  They were craftsmen.  

But, they were important enough that God Himself mentioned their jobs specifically when giving Moses instructions for building the tabernacle.  Sometimes we writers feel that if we aren’t published we aren’t making  difference for the Lord.  Not everyone can be a Moses.  Some need to be Aaron – Moses’ encourager, and some need to be the skilled craftsmen and embroiderers.  Each job for the Lord has importance.  Don’t doubt what God has called you to do because it is different than someone else.  He can’t call us all to do the same things.  


In high school, I worked at a Daycare Center and taught the two’s and three’s class.  Many days we would work little wooden puzzles.  I would sit at the table with them to help guide their little hands to the right spots.  Every time we worked puzzles, there was one little boy who would sneak one of the pieces off of the table to run and hide with it.  We wouldn’t realize it was missing until we got to the end.  Then the puzzle couldn’t be completed without his piece.  It was just a tiny piece of wood but was necessary to view the full picture.  


Sometimes we are the tiny edge piece in a puzzle.  We don’t feel important.  But without us, the puzzle cannot be complete.  God calls each of us to do different things.  Some of you reading this may be a Moses, but many of us are skilled craftsmen and embroiderers.  If you fall into that category, remember – the tabernacle couldn’t be built without you.

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  • Heather@Mommymonk Feb 5 at 3:32 pm

    Carol,
    It’s good to know that we all struggle with knowing our place in God’s kingdom. But we are all valuable, no matter what our place is!

  • Cheri Feb 5 at 4:12 pm

    Great post, Carol!
    This is a topic I think we all need to hear more often!
    Cheri

  • Grafted Branch@Restoring the Years Feb 5 at 4:44 pm

    Well stated! I love this…

  • MaryLu Feb 5 at 4:56 pm

    That is such a good reminder today Carol. We are all part of the body, some an ear, some are an eye, but each one is essential.

  • Stephanie (Ocean Mommy) Feb 5 at 6:35 pm

    So true, so true. Each part is so vital to the big picture.

  • kmom3 Feb 5 at 8:27 pm

    Oh, thank you! What an encouraging post! I like being a part of His plan. I like being a puzzle piece. Just getting to be a piece is so exciting, isn’t it? I need to pray that He would help me be satisfied being the piece He made me to be. I just wouldn’t fit anywhere other than where He planned for me to be. Such good stuff to ponder on today! Thanks, Carol!

  • Allison Feb 6 at 1:42 am

    I too have been reading this and isn’t it cool to see how detail oriented and organized God is.
    By the way, notice all the references about scarlet. That’s where Butch got her name.

  • Sarah Feb 6 at 2:41 pm

    Love it, Carol! I needed this today!

  • DeAnna Feb 6 at 5:31 pm

    Great post! I think that we all struggle with “where do I fit in” and “am I really important” at some point in our lives. But, God calls each of us His Chosen One. That makes us all needed and important.

  • Amy Wyatt Feb 6 at 6:03 pm

    I guess God is using you to tell me something huh?

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