All this pain
I wonder if I’ll even find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found.…
(from the song “Beautiful Things” by Gungor)
You know the feeling. You’ve been there.
Betrayal. Natural disaster. Abuse. Unwelcome surprises. Ruin caused by your sin. Devastation caused by someone else’s sin. Tragedies. Heartaches.
You cry out, “God, can anything good come out of this? Will I even survive this?”
The next day, nothing is left,
...as far as the eye can see, mile after mile after mile,
...only ashes and soot remain.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Dear old Isaiah, the prophet, tells us that God transforms His people’s ashes—the ruin that remains after destruction—to beauty. He replaces their mourning with gladness. He converts their despair to praise. Isaiah says God will rebuild ruins and restore devastation (Isaiah 61:1-4).
I hope you know that feeling, too. Know it because you’ve been there. Know it because you are there.
“God deals with impossibilities. It is never too late for Him to do so, when the impossible is brought to Him, in full faith.…
“If in our own life there have been rebellion, unbelief, sin, and disaster, it is never too late for God to deal triumphantly with these tragic facts, if brought to Him in full surrender and trust.…
“God can ‘restore … the years the locusts have eaten’ (Joel 2:25); and He will do this when we put the whole situation and ourselves unreservedly and believingly into His hands. Not because of what we are but because of what He is. God forgives and heals and restores. He is ‘the God of all grace.’” (Sunday School Times, quoted in Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, November 22 selection; emphasis mine)
God offers to pick us up, dust off ashes and soot, and bring us healing—even new life, even beauty. Look at these two photos. Do you see what I see?
Do you see it? Look closely.
In the words of Gungor’s song, “Hope is springing up from this old ground.”
What is your story? How did God accomplish the seemingly impossible in your life? How did he turn your ashes into beauty?
People need to know your story, so write it!
Your story will help readers think about their own lives. It can prepare them for sorrows that will inevitably arise in their lives.
Or, if they’re in the midst of a tragedy, you can assure them they’re not alone. They need to know that others before them experienced calamities, too, and that God did not forsake them. You can inspire them to hang on in faith until God brings them through on the other side, rebuilt and restored.
Writing your story is what 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 is all about:
“ … the God of all comfort … comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
God can use your story to help transform someone’s ashes to beauty, their mourning to gladness, their despair to praise (Isaiah 61:3).
Because life is hard, write your story.
Below are more excerpts from “Beautiful Things” by Gungor (you can listen to this song at this link: http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/article.php?article_id=384)
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things out of us
All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You.…
You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things out of us
Wonderful post, Linda and perfectly illustrated with your photos. I don't know if you know but I actually featured the video of this song some weeks back on my blog. It is a beautiful song about how God makes beautiful things out of us. Blessings :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, Joyful, yes I love that song. It's been going through my head for several days and nights now. You are one of those Beautiful Things crafted by God's loving hands. :)
DeleteLinda
Amen Linda. Our GOD specializes in bringing good out of our pain, all for His Glory. Thank you for encouraging us!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jess. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're doing well with writing your stories. I want to read them!
DeleteLinda
I'll second Jess's "amen!" Your last two photos brought to mind a weekend many years ago when we were visiting relatives in Burns, OR. Three days before a forest fire had finally been brought under control, and we hiked to look at the devastation. To my amazement and wonder, there were already green shoots appearing where charred trees and ash covered the ground! God is so amazing and wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSherrey, my husband and I drove through Burns a few years ago (4 or 5 or 6?) from California to eastern Washington. We drove alongside forest fires in northern California and in central Oregon, and I specifically remember Burns because I thought of how it was BURNING at the time. That was an awful summer for forest fires--I think they continued up into Washington. I wonder if you and I were at Burns at the same time.
DeleteLike you, I marvel at the way grass springs up in only a couple of days after one of those devastating fires. The same thing happened after Mt. St. Helens erupted. God can bring about the impossible. Thanks for stopping by, Sherrey.
Linda
Dear Linda, what a lovely post. It is true that God brings beauty from ashes. And restores the years the locust has eaten. Thanks for encouraging us to tell our stories.
ReplyDeleteHi, dear Olive Tree. It's so nice to hear from you. I'm praying for you and your family. :)
DeleteYou know the ways God brings beauty from ashes, oh, yes, you know! God is amazing.
Hugs,
Linda
Oh Linda, this is such a beautiful reminder of God's grace, the power of hope that is available to all who believe. So amazing! Let me add to the Amen!Thank you was inspiring us to write our stories, the ones only each one of can tell.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Kathy
Oh, yes.
ReplyDeleteKathy and Beth, both of you have important stories to tell, stories that will help others. Bless you for the beauty you both share with us!
ReplyDeleteLinda
A wonderful and timely encouragement to continue writing even as the ashes settle and the thirsty crust begins to yield to those struggling seeds of new life -- His promises -- bursting forth from our barren places.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
De
Hi, De, you've seen the ashes, but you've also seen the beautiful new life that can result. I know you are writing your stories. :)
ReplyDeleteI suspect you have several new stories to write after your trip to Guatemala. I have enjoyed reading your blog posts.
Linda