There is a great deal of beauty in the many crafts of the American Indians. The more I see them, the more I admire and appreciate them. Seeing a beautifully woven basket with intricate patterns that took weeks or months for a woman to make really makes an impression on me. 

Indian baskets come in many shapes, sizes and designs. They are each designed for a different function; each has a specific purpose. Some women spend a great deal of time on just one basket, and years ago a woman’s value was based on her basket weaving ability. That even determined her dowry.

The weaver always kept the design and purpose in mind while making the basket. The end result was important to her. She wouldn’t hand the basket over to another woman when it was half done, because only the weaver had the vision for the finished product. The finished product had value because of the care the weaver took throughout the whole process.

Our lives have similarities in many ways. We are a woven wonder, designed by a Master Craftsman, and we each have a unique purpose. We were created in a specific pattern and design in order to fulfill the function we were created for. No two people were created to fulfill the same function in exactly the same way.

Psalm 130:1 “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.” V13-16 “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. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

God made us exactly as He wanted us to be. He had a purpose for us. He gives us gifts, talents, and abilities we can use for our good and for His good. He gave us a unique personality, but only God can show us how to use what He has given us to fulfill our purpose and be our best. 

Just as a basket weaver works toward the ultimate design and plans ahead for every weave, God prepares us for the future. He knows what we will need for things to work out “in His time.” He sees the end from the beginning and knows what we will need to deal with each part of our life.

There are many times in our lives when we are a “basket case” and feel unable to deal with our circumstances. It’s good in those times to relax, take time to read the Bible, go over our Spiritual Journals and remember what God has already done in our life. We can see how He has been working and can have the confidence that He is still working for our good. The design isn’t finished yet; we have more to learn and can rely on Him to show us each step. It is our responsibility to stay in His Word and pray for guidance.

Each basket is meant to hold something special. We are holding the message of Jesus Christ within us. That message was meant to be shared, to be poured out in our lives to the benefit of others. He has given each one of us a unique ability to do that in our own style, and He will give us opportunities. Be sure you don’t miss out on the blessings you will receive for sharing how God is working in your life and what He means to you.

God has put people in our lives that are important to Him. We can be confident that He has prepared us to help them when they need us. The ability is woven into us.

We have been given gifts that help define the design of our life, and God can teach us how to use them to complete His design. Just as the baskets are valuable and sometimes sell for hundreds of dollars, consider how much more valuable you are to God, who designed every detail of your life and who loves you more than anyone else in the world. Don’t be afraid to put your life in the hands of the Master Weaver, He will make something beautiful out of your life.