Beauty from Ashes

Who does not like eating Anzac biscuits?  Either chewy delicious oats or crunchy toasted ones. Maybe they are not your favourite but other biscuits are. 

I love cooking especially desserts, cookies, anything sweet. It’s the cleaning up afterwards that I don’t enjoy. 

One of my daughter’s expressed the same sentiment to our family via social media. Then in the next breath she expressed how good it was that her 4-year-old loves doing cleaning and the dishes. Under supervision, of course, and a knowing that water may not stay in the sink!

At the end of these tasks, Willow (the 4-year-old) yelled out, “I’ve finished my chores.”

This story got me thinking… So often in life there is the easy, enjoyable, tasks we want to do but they often go hand in hand with the regular, no fun, menial tasks. Necessary tasks like cleaning – that must be done to get that enjoyment.

No cakes or cookies without cleaning up the utensils. Like there is no rain for the crops unless there is a storm. There are no skilled sailors unless there are rough seas, no diamonds unless the carbon is put under pressure, no victory unless a struggle, no heaven without death, and the ultimate – there is no Resurrection without the Crucifixion.

In scripture we are reminded of who God is and what He can do.

In Isaiah 61:3 it states that Our God will give us “Beauty for Ashes.” This is a beautiful picture of what Christ can do for the mourning people of Israel, and all the ones hurting today. Ashes represent loss and mourning. Just look at the wars in the world today. The destruction.

The ashes on our heads are replaced by a crown, a garland of beauty, a sense of comeback from oblivion. The description of Christ’s redemptive power. Something immeasurably good given to us in the midst of so much evil. Death could not hold Him down and this victory was fought for US.

His power to overcome was given to us.

He took on the wrath, the judgement of God, that would have caused us destruction, annihilation, and gave to everyone the Release from the bondage of Death.

To all who mourn in Israel,
    he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
    festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
    that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

Isaiah 61:3 NLT

We must remind ourselves we can endure the darkness of our day knowing the Light of Christ will break through some day. That God wins.

Reflecting that Friday did occur, but Sunday was around the corner. There was death and a body in the tomb but on the third day there is Life and an empty tomb. Our sorrows, our chores, our hardships, our battles, our nothingness of life can leave us feeling very defeated. But when we dwell with our God, abide in Him, the circumstances may seem to remain the same but the outcome is different. The journey along the way is no longer lonely. God walks with us. We look with different eyes and see change. God becomes our Calm within the storm, the Light that shines out of the darkness, the goal, the victorious ending we are heading towards.

Where do you need to see God’s beauty changed from ashes?

Where do you need to claim Christ’s Resurrecting Power in your Life?

For surely, HE WILL COME. FAITHFUL. TRUE. VICTORIOUS!

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Where do you need to see God’s beauty changed from ashes?

Where do you need to claim Christ’s Resurrecting Power in your Life?