Tailor Made

Dedicated in loving memory to Jim Ovies - 10/09/1960-10/03/2009

Recently my wife and I lost a good friend. His 49 years was too short—certainly by our standards—and we are extremely saddened by the loss. My father-in-law, Bruno, called soon after he heard the news and told me, “You know, Greg, life is like a fine silk thread…so fragile.” I found great wisdom in that simple truth.

The death of someone—especially someone close—brings the reality of mortality to new heights. It sharpens our senses that the time we have on this earth is much more precious than we often give it credit for.

I’d like to go back to the statement for a moment that Bruno made to me: “Life is like a fine silk thread…so fragile.” How appropriate that he used an analogy in this way. God, our Creator, has truly made us out of human fabric and sewn together with the finest of thread…His love. God’s thread, however, is not fragile or weak; quite the contrary. David expresses it in Psalm 139:13, 14 like this:

For you created my inmost being;
… you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
… your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (NIV)

God has created us just as a fine tailor takes careful, loving delight in constructing the perfect piece of work. Unfortunately we often wear our best fitting clothes in places they ought not to go and they become soiled; frayed; sometimes ruined. Although God’s love—His thread—is stronger than anything we can imagine, we often live our lives testing that strength.

Life, on the other hand, is fragile and fleeting. I don’t understand the totality of creation, and certainly can’t see the bigger picture as God sees it. I do know that the time we spend as mortals here on earth is but a mere moment in time whether it be 20, 50 or even 100 years. Life is like a fine silk thread and it should make us appreciate our lives all the more.

Greg Morton
© October 9, 2009