“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
How do you find beauty in difficult times?
My devotion today is found in Isaiah 61:3. This passage of scripture brings me comfort. Yet, I wondered…
How can there be a smidgen of beauty among the rubble? Wreckage? Or ashes?
How is this even possible?
How do we see beauty amid suffering, hopelessness, or despair?
When I saw my baby sister lying in her small white coffin, I sure didn’t see any beauty in that.
As a child, I noticed my mama with bruises on her body. I failed to see them as beauty marks.
My former husband was known for his strength, vigor, and sure-footedness. After one drink of alcohol, he morphed into a sloppy drunk, miles away from anything charming.
To watch my grandpa become a prisoner in his own body was disheartening. His barrel-chested physique became sunken and scrawny. It was a far cry from what I considered alluring.
My grandma was once so robust and plump. When my eyes caressed her features, I saw her turning thin and frail due to illness. It wasn’t lovely to behold.
The day I saw my former husband turn his back on me was not a picturesque scene. He had pulled the rug from under my feet. He left me in the dust while I choked in my sobs and called out his name in vain.
My tiny 29-day-old granddaughter, swollen from fluids in a medically induced coma after her open-heart surgery, wasn’t eye-appealing.
Recently, saying goodbye to Mama was anything but a pleasant and beautiful moment.
Scars tell a story, but they are not beautiful. Neither are the hidden bruises on the body nor the scab on the heart.
Death is not cute; the grieving of loved ones taken from you is never delightful. Hunger is not charming. Loneliness is not attractive.
Repossession isn’t grand. Foreclosure is far from good.
So, how can there be beauty for ashes?
I believe it is found in hope. Hope against hope. Hope that the imperfect will become perfect. Hope that the pain will cease. Hope that there will be a day of reckoning. Hope that the scattered pieces will rebuild. Hope for healing and relief. Hope that the light will dawn and a new day will come. Hope that this too shall come to pass. Hope in heaven. Hope that the best is yet to come. And most importantly, we believe in the Blessed Hope. One day, we shall see our loved ones again who have crossed over.
I can now yell it from the mountaintop. Thank you, Lord! You have turned my life’s ugliness into a thing of beauty!
Out of sadness and hurt will come strength and victory.
From Heart to Heritage
Reflections From the Heart 