You didn’t choose me! I chose you! John 15:16 (TLB)
When church members were asked to make prayer shawls for the opening worship at our annual conference, the response was overwhelming. There were nearly five hundred shawls—loose-knit pastels, frothy wisps of net, fringed paisley silks and even shawls featuring cowboy scenes. I quickly saw the one I wanted: a black lace mantilla that would look great with my black dress.
Only I didn’t get to choose. After I took Holy Communion, a youth delegate selected a colorful patchwork of orange, green, brown and lilac diamonds, cable-stitched and fringed in black. As she draped it around my shoulders, the word that came to mind was “sturdy.”
At home, I draped the shawl over a chair in my bedroom, thinking I might give it away. Instead, I’ve found myself reaching for it each time I have a special worry or concern. I prayed for my grandson Ryan when he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by going skydiving, I wiped tears with the shawl when a tragic accident took the life of a friend, I appreciated its warmth when an attack of bursitis made moving painful.
The shawl, I realized, was the best possible choice for me! It was strong, sturdy and comforting—a colorful reminder of God’s everlasting mercy and overflowing grace.
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