“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:3, KJV
If you have ever been betrayed, abused, or mistreated…
If you’ve ever sat at the bedside of a dying loved one…
If you’ve ever received a terrifying diagnosis…
If you’ve ever had a marriage end…
If you’ve ever walked through circumstances so hot you didn’t know if you’d walk out of the fire alive…
…then you know that life isn’t always happy.
Sometimes it hurts.
Sometimes it’s dark, confusing, and seems harshly unfair.
Sometimes the ashes of grief smudge our souls in a place so deep that only God can see.
We live in a broken world marred by sin and suffering, and inevitably, we will each experience our own forms of them. Some seasons hold more pain than others where it may feel as though all we see is the ashes of what we once held dear.
In the midst of these sorrows, you may question where God is and wonder if he’s forsaken you.
You’re not the only one who has questioned where God is in the middle of suffering or wondered why he would allow it. It seems it’s a time-honored tradition to feel this way. Questions about suffering and loss have plagued humans forever. But let me assure you, friend:
God has never for one second left you alone.
We may never completely see or understand this side of eternity, but he was right there with you and he’s with you now, beckoning you to lay all your grief, suffering, and wounds down at his feet. As you lay it all down in faith, he will cover you in peace and fill you with a joy so deep it makes no worldly sense.
God desires to heal, restore, and give you beauty from the ashes of your life.
If we can set aside our questions of why God allows our lives to break and take up a childlike trust simply because he is the God of the Universe, we can more easily allow him to work through our rubble to create something beautiful.
In his hands, our suffering is the raw material used to create a masterpiece.
In our grief, he adorns us with compassion.
He engraves our souls with patience in our waiting.
Through our loss, we gain clearer eyes of perspective.
The ashes of betrayals build our own trustworthiness.
Our pain may be the only path that leads us to our Savior.
What can easily turn us into bitter, sooty souls can instead transform us into a workmanship of wonder when we offer it all to Him.
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:10-12
“If we can set aside our questions of why God allows our lives to break and take up a childlike trust simply because he is the God of the Universe, we can more easily allow him to work through our rubble to create something beautiful.”
His gifts are always GOOD! Through all the pain and mess, NEW LIFE arises and is promised. I’m drawn to the caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly analogy. 🦋 Love these words and reminders of heavenly exchange, dear sis. We continue to walk by faith no matter what comes/is allowed our way! Xo
Yes, His gifts are good, even if it doesn’t always seem like it in the moment! I’m so thankful for the new life, and yes, the transformation of the caterpillar is a beautiful analogy for it. 🙂